New ancient Egypt temples discovered in Sinai

By HADEEL AL-SHALCHI - 1 day ago

CAIRO (AP) - Archaeologists exploring an old military road
in the Sinai have unearthed four new temples amidst the
3,000-year-old remains of an ancient fortified city that
could have been used to impress foreign delegations visiting
Egypt, antiquities authorities announced Tuesday.

Among the discoveries was the largest mud brick temple found
in the Sinai with an area of 70 by 80 meters (77 by 87
yards) and fortified with mud walls 3 meters (10 feet)
thick, said Zahi Hawass, chief of Egypt's Supreme Council of
Antiquities.

The find was made in Qantara, 2 1/2 miles (4 kilometers)
east of the Suez Canal. These temples mark the latest
discovery by archaeologists digging up the remains of the
city on the military road known as "Way of Horus." Horus is
a falcon-headed god, who represented the greatest cosmic
powers for ancient Egyptians.

The path once connected Egypt to Palestine and is close to
present-day Rafah, which borders the Palestinian territory
of Gaza.

Archaeologist Mohammed Abdel-Maqsoud, chief of the
excavation team, said the large brick temple could
potentially rewrite the historical and military significance
of the Sinai for the ancient Egyptians.

The temple contains four hallways, three stone purification
bowls and colorful inscriptions commemorating Ramses I and
II. The grandeur and sheer size of the temple could have
been used to impress armies and visiting foreign delegations
as they arrived in Egypt, authorities said.

The dig has been part of a joint project with the Culture
Ministry that started in 1986 to find fortresses along the
military road. Hawass said early studies suggested the
fortified city had been Egypt's military headquarters from
the New Kingdom (1569-1081 B.C.) until the Ptolemaic era, a
period lasting about 1500 years.

In a previous find, archaeologists there reported finding
the first ever New Kingdom temple to be found in northern
Sinai. Studies indicated the temple was built on top of an
18th Dynasty fort (1569-1315 B.C.).

Last year, a collection of reliefs belonging to King Ramses
II and King Seti I (1314-1304 B.C.) were also unearthed
along with rows of warehouses used by the ancient Egyptian
army during the New Kingdom era to store wheat and weapons.

Abdel-Maqsoud said the fortified city corresponded to the
inscriptions of the Way of Horus found on the walls of the
Karnak Temple in Luxor which illustrated the features of 11
military fortresses that protected Egypt's eastern borders.
Only five of them have been discovered to date.

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