Egypt makes major archaeological discovery amid coronavirus crisis

A joint Egyptian-Spanish archaeological mission announced a major discovery in the Bahnasah region, in Minya governorate, consisting of a unique cemetery.



Tourists take pictures at the burial chamber and sarcophagus of King Djoser inside the standing step pyramid of Saqqara, south of Cairo, Egypt, March 5, 2020. Photo by REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany.

Rasha Mahmoud

May 26, 2020

CAIRO — Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Egypt, announced May 17 that the Egyptian-Spanish archaeological mission affiliated with the University of Barcelona discovered a unique cemetery dating back to the el-Sawi era, known as the 26th Dynasty. The discovery was made in Bahnasah region, located in Minya governorate, one of the most famous archaeological regions in Egypt.

Waziri explained that the cemetery consists of one room built with polished limestone, with an entrance from the north. The walls have a curvature from the top of the roof, making the cemetery flat and not vaulted. Other cemeteries discovered in the area are vaulted. He noted that the cemetery did not have any funerary furniture.

Esther Ponce, head of the joint mission, said in a statement on the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities website that the excavations also uncovered eight tombs dating back to the Roman era with a domed and nonengraved roof. Inside of these tombs, several Roman tombstones, bronze coins, small crosses and clay seals were found.

Soha Bahgat, spokesman for the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, told Al-Monitor that the city of Bahnasa, located on the western bank of the Nile, near the city of Beni Mazar north of Minya, was known in Hellenistic times as the city of Oxyrhynchus (meaning sharp-nosed fish). “In the Islamic era, the city of Bahnasa was named after Bahaa el-Nesaa, the daughter of the city's governor during the Islamic conquest,” she said.

Read more: https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/05/egypt-archaeological-discover-cemetery-coronavirus.html#ixzz6Nd8NBRUM