Egypt announces major archaeological discoveries including Byzantine-era city in western desert

Egypt has announced several major archaeological discoveries, including a well-preserved fourth-century Byzantine-era residential city in the Dakhla Oasis and 18 ancient tombs at Marina el-Alamein. Additionally, excavations in the Bahariya Oasis revealed a 26th Dynasty temple with inscriptions of Pharaoh Psamtik I. These findings, which include gold 'golden tongue' artifacts and ancient coins, are expected to deepen historical understanding and boost Egypt's vital tourism sector.

Oasis archaeological excavations

• ▪Excavations in the Bahariya Oasis village of al-Qasr unearthed an ancient temple's main hall containing 16 sandstone columns, chambers, and shrines.
• ▪The Dakhla Oasis settlement features north-south thoroughfares, east-west streets, a mid-fourth-century basilica church, and remains of two watchtowers.
• ▪Excavations at the Dakhla Oasis revealed a heavily fortified structure with thick defensive walls and houses with reception halls and vaulted roofs.
• ▪Archaeologists discovered a well-preserved fourth-century Byzantine-era residential city at the Dakhla Oasis in Egypt's western desert.

Ancient temple and city inscriptions

• ▪Excavations at the Dakhla Oasis recovered bronze coins bearing portraits of Byzantine emperors, Latin inscriptions, and Christian symbols, alongside gold coins of Constantius II.
• ▪Archaeologists at the Dakhla Oasis discovered approximately 200 pottery fragments, known as ostraca, containing inscriptions detailing commercial transactions and correspondence.
• ▪Stone blocks bearing the names and titles of King Psamtik I, the first Pharaoh of the 26th Dynasty, were found in the Bahariya Oasis temple.
• ▪Hieroglyphics discovered in the Bahariya Oasis temple name ancient Egyptian deities Amun-Ra, Amunet, and Khonsu.

Multi-period archaeological evidence

• ▪Artifacts at the Tel Kom Aziza site indicate the cemetery was built over older settlement levels dating from the Old Kingdom to the Roman era.
• ▪Ostraca, Coptic texts, and Latin texts found at the Bahariya Oasis site provide evidence of Greek and Roman activity.
• ▪The Bahariya Oasis site yielded a stone stele from the 18th Dynasty under King Amenhotep II and fragments from the 19th Dynasty under King Ramesses II.

Ancient cemetery discoveries

• ▪The Marina el-Alamein site, believed to be the ancient Greco-Roman port city of Leukaspis, has yielded a total of 48 tombs since 1986.
• ▪An ancient Greco-Roman cemetery was discovered at the Tel Kom Aziza archaeological site in Egypt's Beheira Governorate.
• ▪Archaeologists discovered 18 ancient tombs, including 11 rock-cut tombs and seven surface limestone-built tombs, at the Marina el-Alamein site near Alexandria.

Greco-Roman burial practices

• ▪Burials at the Tel Kom Aziza site varied in method from simple pits to mud-brick frames, with diverse body orientations and hand positions.
• ▪Complete burials of wild boars, which are rare in ancient Egyptian funerary sites, were discovered at the Tel Kom Aziza site.
• ▪Four gold pieces, known as "the golden tongue," were found inside the mouths of some deceased individuals at the Marina el-Alamein site.
• ▪Archaeologists at Marina el-Alamein found a 2.5-meter-long granite sarcophagus containing skeletal remains and the remains of a plaster sphinx statue.

Egyptian archaeological heritage significance

• ▪Egyptian officials state that the archaeological discoveries will help boost the country's vital tourism sector and generate foreign currency.
• ▪Egypt's tourism sector saw 19 million visitors in 2025 and 6.1 million visitors in the first four months of 2026.

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