Place · city

Heliopolis (ancient Egypt)

Also known as Iunu

Heliopolis, Egyptian Iunu and biblical On, was one of the oldest cities of ancient Egypt, now within north-eastern Cairo, and the chief cult centre of the sun god Ra and of Atum. Its priesthood developed an influential creation theology. Little survives above ground except the obelisk of Senusret I, and in 640 Arab armies defeated the Byzantine forces nearby in the Battle of Heliopolis.

Heliopolis (ancient Egypt)
Image: Roland Unger · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Heliopolis (ancient Egypt). In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/heliopolis-ancient-egypt
MLA
“Heliopolis (ancient Egypt).” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/heliopolis-ancient-egypt. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Heliopolis (ancient Egypt).” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/heliopolis-ancient-egypt.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Heliopolis (ancient Egypt)’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/heliopolis-ancient-egypt (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻