عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Varieties

Egyptian Archaeologists Continue Searching for Ancient Treasures in Minya

A handout picture released by the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities on Sept. 20, 2020, shows one of 14 2,500-year-old sarcophagi discovered in a burial shaft at the desert necropolis of Saqqara, south of the capital Cairo. (Reuters Photo)
A handout picture released by the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities on Sept. 20, 2020, shows one of 14 2,500-year-old sarcophagi discovered in a burial shaft at the desert necropolis of Saqqara, south of the capital Cairo. (Reuters Photo)
TT
20
TT

Egyptian Archaeologists Continue Searching for Ancient Treasures in Minya

A handout picture released by the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities on Sept. 20, 2020, shows one of 14 2,500-year-old sarcophagi discovered in a burial shaft at the desert necropolis of Saqqara, south of the capital Cairo. (Reuters Photo)
A handout picture released by the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities on Sept. 20, 2020, shows one of 14 2,500-year-old sarcophagi discovered in a burial shaft at the desert necropolis of Saqqara, south of the capital Cairo. (Reuters Photo)

Egyptian archaeologists have been searching for four years to find more pharaonic treasures in al- Ghoreifa area, Minya province (Upper Egypt).

Excavations carried out in the three past years helped unearth antiquities that belong to prominent statesmen from the Late Period of ancient Egypt and the Ptolemaic dynasty.

The Egyptian mission, headed by Dr. Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the supreme council of antiquities, launched its fourth excavation season with the discovery of belongings of Jahouti Umm Hoteb, supervisor of Thrones in the 26th dynasty (664-525 B.C.) that ruled 2,500 years ago.

The antiquities ministry announced Monday that the mission found his sarcophagus in a well at a depth of 5 meters in Tuna el Gebel archaeological site, in al- Ghoreifa. It was found in good condition near a collection of Ushabti statues made of faience, said Waziri noting that "the excavations in the region are ongoing to unearth more treasures and secrets."

The first examinations indicate that this person was called Jahouti Umm Hoteb from the 26th dynasty; he was the supervisor of Thrones and his father was Guarda East, whose coffin was revealed by the mission in its first excavation season in 2018.

According to Jamal al-Samastawi, director-general of Middle Egypt Antiquities, "Al-Ghoreifa region is an expansion of the Tuna el Gebel archaeological site. It's an ancient cemetery in the 15th province of Upper Egypt."

"When the mission started its excavations in the area, it targeted the cemeteries of prominent statesmen of the New Kingdom and the Late Period of ancient Egypt. Over three seasons, it managed to unearth sarcophagus that belong to statesmen and priests from the Late Period of ancient Egypt and the Ptolemaic dynasty, and it is currently searching for antiquities from the New Kingdom," he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

"The mission has launched the fourth excavation season in early August and found a stone sarcophagus from the 26th dynasty. The excavations are expected to continue in the region within the next five years because it is a promising area rich in Egyptian treasures," Samastawi concluded.

Most Viewed

 
Varieties

Firefighters Battle a Wildfire Burning Out of Control on the Greek Island of Chios

A firefighting helicopter during firefighting operations on Chios Island, Greece, 24 June 2025. EPA/KOSTAS KOURGIAS
A firefighting helicopter during firefighting operations on Chios Island, Greece, 24 June 2025. EPA/KOSTAS KOURGIAS
TT
20
TT

Firefighters Battle a Wildfire Burning Out of Control on the Greek Island of Chios

A firefighting helicopter during firefighting operations on Chios Island, Greece, 24 June 2025. EPA/KOSTAS KOURGIAS
A firefighting helicopter during firefighting operations on Chios Island, Greece, 24 June 2025. EPA/KOSTAS KOURGIAS

Hundreds of firefighters backed up by aircraft were battling a wildfire burning out of control for the third day on the eastern Aegean island of Chios Tuesday, with authorities issuing multiple evacuation orders.

Towering walls of flames tore through forest and agricultural land on the island, where authorities have declared a state of emergency and have sent firefighting reinforcements from Athens, the northern city of Thessaloniki and the nearby island of Lesbos, said the Associated Press.

By Tuesday morning, the fire department said 444 firefighters with 85 vehicles were tackling the blaze on scattered fronts. Eleven helicopters and two water-dropping planes were providing air support.

Emergency services have issued evacuation orders for villages and settlements in the area since Sunday, when fires broke out near the island’s main town. The fire department has sent an arson investigation team to Chios to examine the cause of the blaze.

“We are faced with simultaneous fires in multiple, geographically unconnected parts of the island — a pattern that cannot be considered coincidental,” Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Giannis Kefalogiannis said Monday from Chios. Authorities, he said, were “very seriously examining the possibility of an organized criminal act, in other words arson.”

The minister said police forces on the island had been reinforced, while military patrols had been doubled.

“Whoever thinks that they can play with the lives of citizens and cause chaos with premeditated actions will be led to court,” Kefalogiannis said. “Arson is a serious crime and will be dealt with as such.”

Wildfires are frequent in Greece during its hot, dry summers. In 2018, a massive fire swept through the seaside town of Mati, east of Athens, trapping people in their homes and on roads as they tried to flee. More than 100 died, including some who drowned trying to swim away from the flames.