Egypt: the oldest “golden city” of the pharaohs discovered near Luxor

Egyptian archaeologists report a grandiose find of a lost “golden city” built at least 3400 years ago, Ahram and El Balad write.

According to APE-MPE, referring to the words of the famous Egyptian archaeologist Zaha Hawass, the city was founded during the reign of Ancient Egypt by the powerful Pharaoh Amenhotep III, in the XIV century BC. The settlement was the largest administrative center. Scientists call it “Egyptian Pompeii”, as for many centuries the city was swallowed up by a huge layer of sand. Hawass says on Facebook:

“The streets of the city are divided by houses, some of them are 3 m high, we were able to find that the city stretches westward all the way to the famous [некрополя] Deir el-Medina “.

Betsy Brian, professor of Egyptology at Johns Hopkins University, calls the discovery of the ancient city the most important find since the discovery of Tut’s tomb:

“The discovery of the lost city not only gives us a rare opportunity to see how the ancient Egyptians lived during the time when the country was at the peak of its prosperity, but also helps us shed light on one of the greatest mysteries of history: why Akhenaten and Nefertiti decided to move to Amarna “.

Excavations in Egypt began in the fall of 2020, with researchers looking for the posthumous temple of Tutankhamun. However, during the work, archaeologists discovered buildings made of raw bricks. Examining them, scientists realized that in front of them is a huge city in excellent condition – the buildings have been preserved almost intact, and the interiors are intact.

After studying the hieroglyphs on earthen vessels, it became clear that the city is home to the palaces of Amenhotep III. Numerous finds have confirmed the dating, including bricks bearing the imprints of a cartouche bearing the name of the powerful pharaoh. The inscriptions confirmed that the city existed during the joint reign of Amenhotep III and his son Akhenaten.

Hawass says that during the excavations, areas of a large city were discovered – industrial, administrative, residential. He notes:

“Was the city inhabited again when Tutankhamun returned to Thebes? Only further excavations in the area will reveal what actually happened 3,500 years ago. ”

In the near future, scientists are planning to study rock-cut tombs located to the north of the city. They hope that new treasures will be found there.

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