Remains of 3,500-year old temple unearthed in Badrasheen

The Ministry of State for Antiquities announced on Wednesday that it has begun the process of unearthing a previously undiscovered ancient Egyptian temple immersed in groundwater near the Nile Delta town of Badrasheen.

According to the ministry’s website and Facebook page, a large granite statue and the bases of columns have been unearthed from mud and groundwater at the site of the temple, following tip-offs from local residents regarding unauthorized excavation works in the Tal al-Aziz area of Badrasheen. This location was not on the ministry’s map of antiquities.

Located in the Giza governorate, over 40 kilometers south of Cairo, this temple is believed to date back to the reign of Pharaoh Thuthmose III (circa 1479–1425 BC) and the 18^th Dynasty of Egypt’s New Kingdom.

Some 10 artifacts are already reported to have been unearthed, all carved from pink granite, including frescoes and tablets bearing hieroglyphic inscriptions along with a 2.5-meter tall statue of seated man with missing arms.

These recovered artifacts have been taken to a storage facility in the nearby town of Saqqara, where they are to be cleaned of the mud coating them, and restored if necessary. Further excavations and studies of this forgotten temple are underway.  

According to a statement published on Wednesday by the Minister of Antiquities, Mamdouh al-Damaty, tip-offs were issued to the police department of tourism and antiquities since August, claiming that several individuals were conducting unlicensed excavation works in the areas of Tal Al-Aziz and Zelekha Basin.

According to Brigadier General Momtaz Fathy, deputy to the minister of interior, after being issued a search warrant from prosecutors, police forces moved in on a building in this area as of this week and apprehended seven individuals involved in illegal excavation works.

Fathy claims these seven individuals included two Palestinians. The police general added that they were found with digging tools and diving apparatuses, which were allegedly used in their search for artifacts in the muddy groundwater nearby. These seven suspects are currently being detained, pending investigations.

Excavation teams from the Ministry of Antiquities reportedly encountered difficulties whilst inspecting the site of this immersed temple. The ministry’s statement mentions that the groundwater at this site is up to nine meters deep.

The state-owned Arab Contractors Company has been called-in to help in the upcoming excavation works, as they are reported to have the most modern technologies and heavy machinery capable of retrieving such immersed artifacts.