A joint Egyptian-French mission has announced the discovery of the Temple of the Blue Lotus in the ancient city of Sais. Dated to the 26th Dynasty, the temple served as a sanctuary for a local water deity and features vibrant blue pigment traces on its limestone columns that have survived for over two millennia.
Among the most significant finds are hundreds of lapis lazuli and turquoise amulets shaped like lotus buds, found within a sealed ritual pit. These offerings provide new evidence regarding the sophisticated lapidary industry of the Late Period and the theological significance of the blue lotus as a symbol of rebirth and solar alignment in the Delta region.