Hermopolis

Hermopolis Magna or simply Hermopolis is the site of ancient Khmun, located near the modern Egyptian town of El Ashmunein in Al Minya governorate.
The city was the capital of the Hermopolite nome. It stood on the borders of Upper and Lower Egypt. As such, Hermopolis was a place of great resort and opulence, ranking second to Thebes alone. A little to south of the city was the castle of Hermopolis, at which point the river craft from the upper country paid toll. The grottos of Beni Hasan upon the opposite bank of the Nile, were the common cemetery of the Hermopolitans. The major deities worshipped at Hermopolis were Typhôn and Thoth. Typhon was represented by a hippopotamus, on which sat a hawk fighting with a serpent, while Thoth was represented by the Ibis. Hermopolis' structures have undergone severe changes under its Muslim rulers, who have burned its stones for lime or carried them away for building materials. The city is still a titular diocese in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Coptic Orthodox Church. The town is in a ruinous state while some important ruins still remain. The Ibis-headed god was the most conspicuous among the sculptures upon the great portico of the temple of Hermopolis. There is also a peculiarity in the pillars of the Hermopolitan portico. They are composed of irregular pieces, so artfully adjusted that it is difficult to detect the lines of junction.