The Lion Temple of Musawwarat es-Sufra was nicknamed as such after the lion-headed deity, Apedemak, god of war, who was the chief object of worship there. The edifice was constructed in the late 3rd century BC under king Arnekhamani of Kush, who ruled Upper Nubia in modern-day Sudan during the Meroitic period. This was a one-room, standalone temple that formed part of a much larger temple complex, including the Great Enclosure, which featured at least 3 other interconnected temples.
Egyptian gods including Horus, Isis and Amun, featured prominently in the reliefs of the Lion Temple, alongside Nubian gods such as Arensnuphis, Sebiumeker and Amesemi, as well as King Arnekhamani himself, and his heir, crown prince Arka.
The Lion Temple of Musawwarat shouldn’t be confused with a very similar, but later Lion Temple in Naqa, which seems to have been modeled after the original temple in Musawwarat.
