After seven months of excavations, famed Egyptologist Zahi Hawass announced the discovery of the 3,000-year-old “lost golden city”, saying the site was uncovered near Luxor, home of the legendary Valley of the Kings.
Excavations began in September 2020, between the temples of Ramses III and Amenhotep III near Luxor, 500km (300 miles) south of the capital, Cairo and within weeks, formations of mud bricks began to appear in all directions. Neighborhoods, a bakery, residential and administrative districts, as well as jewelry and pottery vessels have been unearthed since then.
Betsy Bryan, professor of Egyptian art and archaeology at Johns Hopkins University, said the find was the second most important archeological discovery since the tomb of Tutankhamun nearly a century ago. “The archaeological layers have laid untouched for thousands of years, left by the ancient residents as if it were yesterday,” the archaeology team’s statement said.
Also Read: Meet Cira-O3, Egypt’s COVID-19 Robot Nurse
The team said it was optimistic that further important finds would be revealed and hopes to use this as part of its goal to rebuild its tourism sector by promoting Egypt’s ancient history