Expert reveals details of astonishing archaeological find

SMA NEWS – CAIRO

Zahi Hawass, the former Egyptian minister of antiquities, said that the discovery of a lost city in Luxor is the most important and greatest archaeological discovery for him.
Hawass believes that the extension of the city belongs to Tutankhamun, and said that the recent discovery shook the world.
The Egyptian archaeological mission, headed by Hawass, discovered the lost city under the sands of Luxor, called Ascension of Aton, which dates back to the reign of King Amenhotep III. The city continued to be used by Tutankhamun 3,000 years ago, and it may even pre-date pharaonic history and add to the archaeological discoveries that Egypt has discovered during recent years.
Hawass said during televised statements that many industrial places were discovered in the lost city, including places for the manufacture of clothes, linen and fishing rods, and 100 molds were discovered for the manufacture of amulets used in the palace.
Large quantities of semi-precious stones were also found and it is expected that the discoveries in the city will cover an area of more than 3 km.
“We found three main areas — one for management, one for workers to sleep (in) and a third for industry — as well as an area for dried meat,” Hawass said.

He explained that it is the largest ancient city found so far, noting that the discovery was carried out by an Egyptian team.
Hawass said that Betsy Bryan, an archaeologist specializing in the golden age, had praised the discovery of the lost city, describing it as the second most important discovery after the tomb of Tutankhamun.
Hawass said that the process of restoring the city will begin next month. The pottery found in the city dates back 3,000 years, confirming that the discovered pots were used for storing meat.
He said that they had also discovered three kilos of dried meat as well as other significant finds.
“A cemetery dating back to the 26th dynasty, 500 BC, was discovered, and these graves are complete and untouched and are supported because they are made of mud bricks,” Hawass said.
He said that work to discover the lost city began in September 2020.
Hawass said that he had not expected to discover the city. Archaeologists believed that it had disappeared, so the discovery of the first house in the city had astonished scientists, he said.