Sais (Sau)
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The site of the ancient Egyptian city of Sau, later known as Sais, lies near the village of Sa el-Hagar on the right bank of the Rosetta arm of the Nile. It was the chief center of the cult of the goddess Neith and the residence of the kings of the 24th and 26th Dynasties.
The existence of the town is attested from the beginnings of Egyptian history, and in the Early Period it was a political and religious center of the Delta. The principal temple was dedicated to the goddess Neith (Nereth, the "Fearsome One"), who was venerated as the mother of the sun god, a war goddess with a bow and arrows as her attributes and one of the four protective goddesses of the dead. As the incarnation of the power of Lower Egypt she wore the Red Crown. After the unification of the two kingdoms the political importance of Sais rapidly declined. It now became the chief town of the fifth nome of Lower Egypt, with a territory which until the time of the 12th Dynasty extended over the area of the later fourth nome.
The existence of the town is attested from the beginnings of Egyptian history, and in the Early Period it was a political and religious center of the Delta. The principal temple was dedicated to the goddess Neith (Nereth, the "Fearsome One"), who was venerated as the mother of the sun god, a war goddess with a bow and arrows as her attributes and one of the four protective goddesses of the dead. As the incarnation of the power of Lower Egypt she wore the Red Crown. After the unification of the two kingdoms the political importance of Sais rapidly declined. It now became the chief town of the fifth nome of Lower Egypt, with a territory which until the time of the 12th Dynasty extended over the area of the later fourth nome.
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Tips: Access Road from Tanta to Basyun (15mi/24km northwest), then track to Sael-Hagar, 4mi/6km northwest.
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