Officials said the finds are expected to bolster the country’s tourism sector, which has been recovering from years of political turmoil and the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The discoveries underscore Cairo's ongoing efforts to highlight its archaeological heritage and attract visitors.
The unearthed settlement at Dakhla Oasis features north-south thoroughfares intersecting east-west streets, open squares and a basilica church dating to the mid-fourth century, according to Hisham el-Leithy, secretary general of the supreme council of antiquities. Such urban planning reflects the Byzantine influence on the region during that period, with similar structures appearing across the Eastern Mediterranean. Notably, the basilica stands at the head of the settlement, overlooking its main streets, a layout consistent with other Byzantine-era church placements.
Archaeologists found houses, bread ovens, kitchens, stone grinding tools, bronze and gold coins, and pottery fragments with inscriptions detailing commercial transactions and daily life, said Mahmoud Massoud, who chairs the archaeological mission, and Diaa Zahran, head of the Islamic, Coptic and Jewish Antiquities department. Among the structures was the house of Tikous, identified as a church deacon, which likely served as a house church before the basilica was built.
These finds provide insight into the daily activities of the community, which thrived when Egypt was part of the Byzantine Empire. Similar discoveries at sites such as the lost city of Imet near Tanis have also revealed rare insight into ancient daily life, according to researchers...<<<Read More>>>...
