Bastet

Bastet's main cult center was the city of Bubastis (Per-Bast) in the Nile Delta, where a major temple was dedicated to her worship. The Greek historian Herodotus described the temple as one of the most beautiful in Egypt in the 5th century BCE. The city became a major pilgrimage site during the Late Period.

Bastet was originally depicted as a fierce lioness warrior goddess in the early dynastic periods of ancient Egypt. Over centuries, particularly during the Late Period (around 664–332 BCE), her image softened into that of a domestic cat, reflecting a gentler aspect of feline power. Cat mummies were commonly offered at her temples during this later period.

Herodotus reported that the annual Festival of Bastet at Bubastis was one of the largest religious gatherings in ancient Egypt, attracting hundreds of thousands of celebrants. Pilgrims traveled by boat on the Nile, playing music and celebrating along the way. The festival involved feasting, drinking, and ritual offerings to the goddess.

Cats were sacred to Bastet, and harming a cat in ancient Egypt was considered a grave offense. The Greek historian Diodorus Siculus wrote that killing a cat, even accidentally, could result in mob violence against the perpetrator. Vast cat cemeteries at Bubastis contained hundreds of thousands of mummified cats offered to the goddess.