Archaeologists have uncovered what they say is a 'huge' ancient building in what was once Egypt's capital city, the country's
Archaeologists have uncovered what they say is a ‘huge’ ancient building in what was once Egypt’s capital city, the country’s Antiquities Ministry announced Tuesday.
The city of Memphis was founded circa 2925 B. C. by Menes, a king who is said to have united the prehistoric kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt. The city was originally called the White Walls, a term that may have come from the king’s palace of whitewashed brick.
The newly found ruins are located about an hour south of Cairo, near an open-air museum in the town of Mit Rahina, the ministry says .
Archaeologists also discovered a connected structure containing a Roman bath and an ornately carved basin, which likely used in religious ceremonies, according to The Associated Press .
Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, said the area was most likely part of a residential community in Memphis, the AP reports.
Memphis and its necropolis became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979. The grounds contain the remnants of sun temples, palaces, pyramids, residential neighborhoods and thousands of rock-cut tombs.
Last week, archaeologists found a sandstone sphinx when they were excavating a temple near the city of Aswan, in southern Egypt. The statue was found close to a site where two reliefs of King Ptolemy V were recovered two months prior, according to the American University in Cairo.
Salima Ikram, a professor of Egyptology, said the sphinx and slabs trace back to the Ptolemaic Period. They « show us that the exterior area of the temple was an active ritual and cult place » and that it « played an important role in the spiritual, political and economic life of the people. »
New archaeological discoveries in Egypt could drive tourism at a time when the industry has seen a decline.
On Monday, Tourism Minister Rania Al Mashat announced a partnership between the ministry and Zahi Hawass, the former Antiquities minister and archaeologist known as « Egypt’s Indiana Jones, » as part of a campaign to promote tourism in the country.
