An Egyptian-French mission uncovers a residential city and a Coptic cemetery in Qena
Cairo, February 23 / WAM / A joint Egyptian-French archaeological mission succeeded in uncovering parts of a residential city built of mud brick dating back to the eighteenth century AD at the “Sheikh Al-Arab Hammam” site in the village of Al-Arki in the Egyptian Qena Governorate. It includes six houses attached to service buildings and an industrial area. The mission also discovered an extension of a Coptic cemetery from the Byzantine era located below this city.
Excavations inside the city resulted in the discovery of bronze coins, pottery pieces, children’s toys, ornaments, and textile pieces, while the Coptic cemetery revealed burials in two different styles, including about 23 skeletons subject to bioarchaeological studies, in addition to finding pottery pieces, linen scrolls, parts of clothing decorated with floral and geometric motifs, cross shapes, Coptic letters, and a copper stamp for decorating cakes.
The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities explained that the discovery’s location in a strategic area between Dendera and Abydos enhances the chances of it being included in tourism, while the Supreme Council of Antiquities and those in charge of the project confirmed that the discovery deepens understanding of the nature of life, human and industrial activities, and funerary practices in Upper Egypt, pointing to the implementation of field training programs for antiquities inspectors and restorers.
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