The head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities Mohammad Ismail (center) talks with an archaeologist about stone fragments bearing scenes of rituals in well preserved colors, displayed on site during a media event to announce new discoveries by an Egyptian archaeological mission at Queen Hatshepsut’s Valley Temple in Deir El-Bahari on the Nile’s west bank in Luxor on January 8, 2025. —Photos by Khaled Desouki/Agence France-Presse
CAIRO, Egypt — Egypt on Wednesday unveiled new archaeological discoveries, including the 4,000-year-old tombs of high-ranking officials and artwork from the time of Queen Hatshepsut, at an ancient necropolis in the famed city of Luxor.
The artifacts, unearthed during a three-year-long excavation, were found in Deir al-Bahari area in the necropolis of Thebes on the west bank of the Nile, renowned Egyptologist Zahi Hawass, who led the mission in cooperation with Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, said in a statement.
Article continues after this advertisementThe findings date from the time of the 15th dynasty (1650-1550 BC) to the powerful 18th dynasty (1550-1292 BC), which included pharaohs such as Queen Hatshepsut and King Tutankhamun.
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The team unveiled an intact part of the foundations for the valley temple of Queen Hatshepsut’s funerary complex as well as intricate artwork rendered in vivid bas-reliefs and inscriptions with remarkably preserved colors.
Article continues after this advertisementSome of the 1,500 decorated blocks depict the queen and her successor, Thutmose III, performing sacred rituals.
Article continues after this advertisement“(It is) the most beautiful scene I have ever seen in my life,” Hawass, who personally unveiled the new discoveries at the temple, said.
Article continues after this advertisement“This is the first time that we have a final program of the decoration of a temple dating to the 18th dynasty,” he told reporters.
A display showcases a stele and multiple artifacts unearthed during a partial excavation of the Assassif Ptolmaic necropolis, during a media event to announce new discoveries by an Egyptian archaeological mission at Queen Hatshepsut’s Valley Temple in Deir El-Bahari on the Nile’s west bank in Luxor on January 8, 2025.
Beneath the temple’s foundation, archaeologists also discovered a pristine set of ceremonial tools inscribed with Queen Hatshepsut’s name.
slotzo Article continues after this advertisementOther major finds included the rock-cut tombs of high-ranking Middle Kingdom officials and an 18th-dynasty tomb of “the Overseer of the Palace” of Queen Tetisheri.
Tetisheri was the grandmother of King Ahmose I, who expelled the Hyksos, a Western Asian people who invaded Egypt and controlled the Nile Delta for nearly a century.
Also uncovered were burial shafts containing wooden coffins marked with a feather emblem of the 17th dynasty as well as children’s graves complete with toys.
Wednesday’s announcement came as Egypt ramped up eforts to revive its tourism sector, a key source of foreign currency for the country’s struggling economy.
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Last year, Egypt received 15.7 million tourists and aims to attract 18 million this year. —Agence France-Presse
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