CNN highlights the discovery of a Lost Sun Temple south of Cairo

CAIRO – 16 November 2021: The American network "CNN" highlighted Egypt's new archaeological discovery of what is believed to be one of the Lost Temples of the Sun, which dates back to the middle of the twenty-fifth century BC.

A team of archaeologists found buried remains under another temple in Abu Ghorab, 12 miles south of Cairo, said the network's co-director of the mission and assistant professor of Egyptology at the Institute of Oriental and Mediterranean Cultures at the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw Massilimiliano Nazzolo.

CNN explained that in 1898, archaeologists working on the site discovered the Sun Temple of Niuserre, the sixth king of the Fifth Dynasty who ruled Egypt between 2400 and 2370 BC. The new discoveries of the last mission indicates that the temple was built over the remains of another Sun Temple.

Nazzolo told CNN in an email that archaeologists in the 19th century excavated a very small part of this stone building beneath the stone temple of Niuserre, and concluded that this was an earlier building stage for the same temple. However, recent discoveries revealed that this building was completely different, and was built by Niuserre.

The finds form seals engraved with the names of the kings who ruled before Niuserre, which were formerly used as stoppers, in addition to the bases of two limestone columns, which were part of an entrance.

Nazzolo explained that the original building was made entirely of mud bricks. The Polish scientist's team found dozens of intact beer jugs during the excavation, some of which were filled with ritual silt only used in specific religious rituals.

The pottery dates back to the middle of the twenty-fifth century BC, one or two generations before the life of Niuserre.