DistantNews
Support us
Egypt Uncovers Lost Byzantine-era City in the Western Desert
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia /Culture & Society

Egypt Uncovers Lost Byzantine-era City in the Western Desert

From Asharq Al-Awsat · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Egypt announced the discovery of a well-preserved Byzantine-era city in the western desert, offering insights into daily life, urban development, and economic activities from the fourth century.
  • The find includes residential quarters, a basilica church, watchtowers, and evidence of food production, alongside bronze and gold coins bearing Byzantine and Roman emperor portraits.
  • This discovery, along with another find near Alexandria, aims to boost Egypt's crucial tourism sector, a major source of foreign currency.

Egypt has unveiled a significant archaeological discovery: a remarkably well-preserved Byzantine-era city unearthed in the western desert's Dakhla Oasis. This find offers a detailed glimpse into urban life, development, and economic activities during the fourth century, a period when Egypt was part of the Byzantine Empire.

The unearthed quarters included north-south thoroughfares intersected by east-west streets, forming open squares and public spaces.

— Hisham el-LeithySecretary general of the supreme council of antiquities described the city's layout.

The unearthed settlement features a grid of north-south and east-west thoroughfares, creating open squares and public spaces. At the city's heart stands a basilica church dating to the mid-fourth century, overlooking the main streets. The site also includes remains of two watchtowers, likely built for defense, and numerous houses with reception halls and vaulted roofs. Among these structures, archaeologists identified the house of Tisous, believed to have served as a house church before the basilica's construction.

A basilica church, dating back to the mid-fourth century, stands at the settlement’s head, overlooking its main streets, along with remains of two watchtowers to safeguard the outskirts.

— Mahmoud MassoudMahmoud Massoud, who chairs the archaeological mission, detailed key structures found.

Evidence of daily life is abundant, with discoveries of bread ovens, kitchens, and stone grinding tools used for food preparation. The site has also yielded well-preserved bronze coins featuring portraits of Byzantine emperors and Latin inscriptions, alongside gold coins from the reign of Roman Emperor Constantius II (337-361 AD). Additionally, approximately 200 pottery fragments, known as ostraca, were found inscribed with details of commercial transactions, correspondence, and other aspects of daily life.

Among them were the house of Tisous, identified as a church deacon and dating to the second half of the fourth century, which archaeologists believe served as a house church before the construction of the city’s basilica.

— Mahmoud MassoudMassoud highlighted a specific house identified as an early church.

This discovery is part of Egypt's ongoing efforts to bolster its vital tourism sector, a key source of foreign currency. Alongside the strategic Suez Canal, tourism revenue is crucial for the cash-strapped nation. The findings at Dakhla Oasis, combined with another major archaeological announcement near Alexandria, are expected to attract more visitors interested in Egypt's rich historical tapestry. The Dakhla Oasis itself is on UNESCO's Tentative List, a step closer to potentially being added to the World Heritage List.

Among them were the house of Tisous, identified as a church deacon and dating to the second half of the fourth century, which archaeologists believe served as a house church before the construction of the city’s basilica.

— Mahmoud MassoudMassoud highlighted a specific house identified as an early church.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Asharq Al-Awsat. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog