In ancient Egypt, pairs of tapering stone towers called pylons marked the entrances of temples.

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Samurai once lived in Buddhist temples here, Nagashima explained, working as security guards called boukan.

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The new B'nai Abraham was the most splendid of the city's temples, a circular building austerely designed in what was called "the Greek style" and vast enough to hold a thousand worshipers on the High Holidays.

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