3,000 year old fortified city and four ancient temples discovered in Egypt

Published on Apr 22nd 2009 at 4:11 am | Views: 220 Archaeology

3,000 year old fortified city and four ancient temples discovered in Egypt

Ramses II, right and Geb, god of earth, carved on a wall at one of four recently unearthed new temples in Qantara. Credit: Xinhua / Reuters

(Astigan) — Egyptian archaeologists have discovered a 3,000 year-old fortified city and four ancient temples while working on an ancient military road known as “Way of Horus”. Archaeologists say the discoveries might rewrite the historical and military significance of the Sinai for the ancient Egyptians.

Digging near an old military road in the Sinai, Egyptian archaeologists have discovered an ancient fortified city dating back about 3,000 years. According to Zahi Hawass, Egypt’s top archaeologist, earlier studies suggested the presence of the fortified city which could have been Egypt’s military headquarters from the New Kingdom until the Ptolemaic era. The period between the two ancient historical epochs is about 1,500 years.

Archaeologist Mohammed Abdel-Maqsoud, chief of the excavation team, said that the fortified city corresponds to the inscriptions of the “Way of Horus” found on the walls of a temple in Luxor. The inscriptions illustrated 11 military fortresses strategically placed to defend Egypt’s eastern border. From the 11 fortresses, only 5 have been discovered, writes Stuff.co.nz.

Four ancient temples have also been unearthed from which one discovery was made near Qantara, about 4 kilometers east of the Suez Canal. Archaeologists said the temple is the largest mud brick temple found in the Sinai, occupying an area of 70 by 80 meters. The temple was fortified with 3 meters thick mud walls, reports Xinhuanet.

The temple contains four hallways, three stone purification bowls and colorful inscriptions, some dedicated to the Pharaohs Ramses I and II. Authorities said the grandeur and size of the temple could have been used to impress visiting foreign delegations and armies at their arrival in Egypt.

The discoveries were made by archaeologist digging the remains of the ancient military road known as the “Way of Horus”. In ancient times, this road connected Egypt and Palestine and is close to present-day Rafah, which borders the Palestinian territory of Gaza. For the ancient Egyptians, the god Horus was the keeper of the greatest cosmic powers and was represented with human body and the head of a falcon.

The findings are very important as, according to archaeologists, they could rewrite the historical and military significance of the Sinai for the ancient Egyptians.