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Revealed: ancient temples designed to impress visitors
Source: Agencies |
April 22, 2009, Wednesday
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ARCHAEOLOGISTS exploring an old military road in the Sinai have unearthed four temples amidst the 3,000-year-old remains of an ancient fortified city that could have been used to impress foreign delegations visiting Egypt, antiquities authorities announced in Cairo yesterday.
Among the discoveries was the largest mud brick temple found in the Sinai with an area of 70 meters by 80 meters and fortified with mud walls 3 meters thick, said Zahi Hawass, chief of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities.
The find was made in Qantara, 4 kilometers east of the Suez Canal. The temples mark the latest discovery by archaeologists digging up the remains of the city on the military road known as "Way of Horus." Horus is a falcon-headed god, who represented the greatest cosmic powers for ancient Egyptians.
The path once connected Egypt to Palestine and is close to present-day Rafah, which borders Gaza.
Archaeologist Mohammed Abdel-Maqsoud, chief of the excavation team, said the large brick temple could potentially rewrite the historical and military significance of the Sinai for the ancient Egyptians.
The temple contains four hallways, three stone purification bowls and colorful inscriptions commemorating Ramses I and II. The grandeur of the temple could have been used to impress armies and visiting foreign delegations, authorities said.
Hawass said early studies suggested the fortified city had been Egypt's military headquarters from the New Kingdom (1569-1081 BC) for a period lasting about 1,500 years.
Among the discoveries was the largest mud brick temple found in the Sinai with an area of 70 meters by 80 meters and fortified with mud walls 3 meters thick, said Zahi Hawass, chief of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities.
The find was made in Qantara, 4 kilometers east of the Suez Canal. The temples mark the latest discovery by archaeologists digging up the remains of the city on the military road known as "Way of Horus." Horus is a falcon-headed god, who represented the greatest cosmic powers for ancient Egyptians.
The path once connected Egypt to Palestine and is close to present-day Rafah, which borders Gaza.
Archaeologist Mohammed Abdel-Maqsoud, chief of the excavation team, said the large brick temple could potentially rewrite the historical and military significance of the Sinai for the ancient Egyptians.
The temple contains four hallways, three stone purification bowls and colorful inscriptions commemorating Ramses I and II. The grandeur of the temple could have been used to impress armies and visiting foreign delegations, authorities said.
Hawass said early studies suggested the fortified city had been Egypt's military headquarters from the New Kingdom (1569-1081 BC) for a period lasting about 1,500 years.
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