An ancient gold coin discovered at Abuqir Bay in Alexandria

CAIRO – 24 June 2018: A gold coin from the Islamic period was discovered by an Egyptian-French mission during an underwater excavation at Abuqir Bay in Alexandria.

According to Ahram online, the coin, which holds a verse from the Quran and dates back to the reign of the Omayyad Sultan Abdel Malek Ibn Marawan, was carved in pure gold and was located in the Levant.

The underwater excavation is expected to discover in the coming period more of Abuqir Bay's hidden treasures.

It is worth mentioning that two exceptional discoveries were revealed on Sunday, April 22; the discovery of a marble head of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius in Aswan and an Osirian temple in Luxor.

The year 2018 is considered the year of archeological discoveries. The remains of a Greco-Roman temple was uncovered by an Egyptian archaeological mission from the Supreme Council of Antiquities while performing excavations at Al-Salam archaeological site on Wednesday, April 4.

The Egyptian Minister of Antiquities Khaled el-Anany announced on Feb. 24 the discovery of eight tombs that contain about 40 coffins of Pharaonic priests and more than 1,000 Ushabti statues in the Tuna el-Gebel area in Minya governorate.

This discovery was described by Anany as one of the most important archaeological discoveries unearthed in recent times. The new archeological discovery is documenting some issues related to the lives of ancient Egyptians in Minya province tens of centuries ago.