In the same way that Pharaohs and pyramids are an important part of Egyptian history, so are their temples and rituals of worship.
During early Egyptian times, the worship of animals was quite common. Such animals as cats, bulls and wolves were highly revered. It is not clearly understood why animals were worshiped as gods and what they stood for symbolically, but over time, the people looked to the belief in humans as gods. During its history, Egypt fluctuated between polytheism and monotheism.
Because the people of Egypt were so diversified and complex, so were their gods. What one god stood for differed from the others, and temples were built to demonstrate this notion.
During the times of the Old (approximately 2520 B.C.) and Middle Kingdoms (approximately 2060 B.C.) pyramids and sun temples were built for the worship of Kings and gods. "A valley temple-which provided an entrance to the complex from the Nile or its canal- was connected by a long, walled causeway to the second structure, a mortuary temple, where sacrifices and other rituals were conducted for the deceased king." (Wilkinson 20). The Middle Kingdom stood witness to the destruction and rebuilding of temples that already existed. An example would be the tomb of Nebhepetre Mentuhotep at Deir el-Bahri, at Thebes. This temple was later rebuilt and moved to a more natural habitat in the mountain areas of Thebes. Also during the Middle Kingdom, King Sesostris I conducted a series of construction projects for the temples that started from the Delta to Elephantine. Shrines, limestone, and hieroglyphic writings were all a part of temples during this time period.
The temples of the New Kingdom served for the kings. Kings Amenophis III and Ramesses II greatly encouraged the building of many temples. "Costly and magnificent religious structures were produced on a regular basis, and many if not most temples were constructed almost entirely of stone." (Wilkinson 24). During this time, Kings became concerned with the issues of security. As oppose to having pyramids as tombs, they opted to have their tombs in the area of the Valley of the Kings, near the Theban Mountains. This setting provided for a peaceful journey into the After-life and separated the inhabitants for their worship at the temples that were closer by.
During the reign of Roman emperor Theodosius in 391 A.D. and emperor Valentinian III in 435 A.D., Egyptian temples were destroyed. Soon, the religions of Christianity and Islam came to be and often times went against each other, bringing about religious conflicts.