Heritage Daily sheds light on one of four lost ancient Egyptian 'Sun Temples'

CAIRO – 2 August 2022: Heritage Daily website shed light on the work of the joint Italian-Polish archaeological mission in the Temple of King Nyuserre in Abu Ghorab, north of Abusir, after discovering the remains of a mud-brick building below the temple.

Preliminary studies indicate that it may be one of the four lost Sun Temples of the Fifth Dynasty, known from historical sources, which has not yet been revealed.

Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Mustafa Waziri said that the four temples have not been discovered yet, pointing out that excavations will be completed at the site to reveal more about this building.

According to ancient Egyptian beliefs, only six Sun Temples were built. So far, only two have been found, but archaeologists who are digging under the remains of one of the well-known temples of the sun in Abu Ghorab, north of Abusir, have found evidence of a third temple.

The remains of the discovered building are accessed through a limestone entrance. It leads to the area between the storerooms in the north and the wide courtyard to the west, where there is a paved floor of mud bricks containing huge blocks of quartz, some with a weighted face and embedded in the floor under the floor of the Temple of King Nyuserre.

Head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector at the Supreme Council of Antiquities Ayman Ashmawy said the remains of the discovered building indicate that it was built of mud bricks. It was partially removed by Nyuserre to build his temple.

Massimiliano Nozolo, head of the expedition from the Polish Academy of Sciences Warsaw, confirmed that the mission will complete its work soon, in an attempt to unveil more secrets about this building.