Egyptian archaeological mission discoveries wrap-up of 2020

CAIRO – 12 October 2020: The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, under the leadership of Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled el-Anani, attaches great importance to excavating ancient Egyptian treasures.

There are numerous archaeological missions operating in Egypt, but the Egyptian missions headed by Mostafa Waziri, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, had the lion's share of the important archaeological discoveries during the last period. 

On October 5, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced the discovery of 59 archaeological coffins, dating back to the 26th Dynasty that lived about 2,600 years ago, in the Saqqara antiquities area in Giza. The ministry confirmed that these coffins have not been opened before, and there are more of them that have not been disclosed yet.

On September 21, the excavations of the Egyptian archaeological mission headed by Mostafa Waziri revealed the discovery of a burial well with a limestone coffin and a number of ushabti statues in Al-Ghuraifah archaeological area in Tuna el-Jabal, Minya Governorate.

Waziri explained that the mission started its fourth season by displacing the existing debris, which led to the discovery of a well at a depth of 5 meters. It contained a limestone sarcophagus with inscriptions representing the four children of Horus, found in very good condition, next to a group of Ushabti statues made of vines.

On June 22, as part of the project to restore and revitalize the Great Processions Road, known as the Rams Road [Kebbash Road], the Egyptian archaeological mission revealed a number of circular mud brick kilns with incineration traces in addition to a huge mud brick wall from the late Roman period.

Waziri explained that the kilns found in the area of Nagaa Abu Asbah may have been used to make pottery or faience. The wall was found to the west of the procession path of the Khonsu Temple. It is about 30 meters long, 2.5 meters in height and 3 meters wide. It consists of 17 mudbrick courses.

On February 12, 2020, the Egyptian archaeological mission of the Supreme Council of Antiquities uncovered 83 tombs during archaeological excavation work in Umm Al-Khalegan area, Dakahlia Governorate.

Waziri explained that 80 of the tombs date back to the first half of the fourth millennium BC, known as the Bhutto civilization of Lower Egypt. They took the form of oval pits cut into the sandy island layer, and inside them were burials in a squatting position, and with these burials, funeral furniture was found.

Also, Waziri confirmed that this is the first time that pottery coffins dating back to the Naqada third period have been uncovered in Dakahliya Governorate sites, as the burial inside pottery coffins was not previously detected except for one case that was discovered by the Polish mission at Tal Al-Farkha.