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| Heracleopolis Magna |
Herakleopolis Magna, a site south of Meidum at the entrance to the
Faiyum, now Ihnasiyah el-Medineh, originally called Nen-nesut, Nenen-nesut, or Ninsu by the Egyptians, Herakleopolis was the capital of the twentieth nome of Upper Egypt and the cult center for Harsaphes (Her-shef).
Herakleopolis dominion has been named that figure in telling to the Greek idol hero "Herakles" who Greeks paired with the main region idol "Hershef" or "Hersphes" which represents the head of a drive. Most of the region is located on the island between the Nile and
Bahr Youssef, and bounded on the north by Arsinoite dominion, and Oxyrhynchites from the south and it match Herakleopolis region with current Beni Suef province, and even beyond. This region has a great grandness since prehistoric times; through private historic ages when it became the capital Herakleopolis Magna "Ehnasya" is the political capital of the country in the "Ehnasya age" during the epoch of the two families ninth and tenth, and continued until the Graeco-Romans time.
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Ruined columns at
Herakleopolis Magna |
The place was occupied as early as the
1st Dynasty (2920–2770 B.C.E.) but rose to prominence in the First Intermediate Period (2134–2040 B.C.E.). The name Herakleopolis Magna was added upon the site by the swayer of the Ptolemaic Period (304–30 B.C.E.). In the First Intermediate Period, Herakleopolis was the home of the Khety (Aktoy) clan. During the Khety period of rule (2134–2040 B.C.E.), a canal linked Herakleopolis Magna to Memphis. Montuhotep II rounded the site in 2040 B.C.E. when he started his campaign to reunify Egypt.
Harsaphes's temple, a ram-headed deity, was restored at Herakleopolis Magna by
Ramses II (1290–1224 B.C.E.). A granite triad of Ramses II, Ptah, and Harsaphes was also erected in Herakleopolis Magna. An Old Kingdom (2575–2134 B.C.E.) enshrine and a necropolis, Gebel El-Sidmant, are on the site.