††††A temple is a building used for religious worship. Temples have been built all over the world for thousands of years. They are prominent in Asia and the Far East, but appear in many areas of the world to celebrate many contrasting religions. They are known by a variety of other names including churches (by Christians), synagogues (by Jews), or Mosques (by Moslems).
The first holy places were caves. Later a stone or tree was used as an altar. The enclosure containing the altar was the first stage in the building of a temple. In Mesopotamia about 6000 years ago, the Sumerians built their enclosure on an artificial hill. This enclosure was made around a wattled hut. Later the hut was replaced by a brick building which housed an altar and an image of the god or goddess.
In Egypt the first temples were the funeral chapels of kings. From about 3000 BC, or earlier, the king of Egypt was believed to be a god. The great pyramids were tombs which had chapels attached. The chapels eventually evolved into vast stone temples.
