Egypt's Lost Golden City Uncovered After 3000 Years
Dr. Zahi Hawass talking to media in the 3,000-year-old lost city in Luxor province, Egypt
By: Meral Abu-Jaser/Arab America Contributing Writer
Over the course of 2 weeks, Egypt has been making news headlines. Once was when the royal parade took place in downtown Cairo and now the discovery of an ancient city. This remarkable finding was announced on April 9th by the famed Egyptologist Zahi Hawass as “the lost golden city.” This ancient city is said to be the largest ever found in Egypt and is marked to be over 3000 years old. It was found near Luxor, home of the legendary Valley of the Kings. Now let us dig into this magnificent discovery and learn more about the lost golden city of Egypt.
The Discovery of the Lost Golden City
The Lost Golden City
The search for this city had begun back in September 2020. Dr. Zahi Hawass’s team began excavation between the temples of Ramses III and Amenhotep III near Luxor, some 300 miles south of Cairo. According to CBC News, within weeks of excavations, formations of mud bricks began to appear in all directions. After several months, several neighborhoods had been uncovered. This includes a complete bakery with ovens and storage pottery found in the southern area of the city.
One team member said in a statement, “The archaeological layers have laid untouched for thousands of years, left by the ancient residents as if it were yesterday.” This has left the team confident that further important acquisitions may be revealed. Noting that they had already discovered groups of tombs similar in construction to those found in the Valley of the Kings.
History of the “Lost Golden City”
Among other ancient cities discovered, this city is considered to be the most extraordinary. It is believed to be over 3000 years old and was home to more than one pharaoh who ruled during the golden age; assuming that this is the reason for its name as the “Lost Golden City.” While it has not yet been recorded statistically, it is believed to be the largest ancient city that has ever been discovered in Egypt.
As was mentioned earlier, this city was home to the reign of Amenhotep III and continued to be used by Tutankhamun, known as King Tu, and Ay. As Betsy Bryan, professor of Egyptian art and archaeology at Johns Hopkins University said, the find was the “second most important archeological discovery since the tomb of Tutankhamun,” which is nearly a century ago, according to the team’s statement.
Mysteries and Findings Uncovered
pottery vessel
Photo: National Geographic
An abundance of decorative and ritual items, including scarabs and amulets.
As of this moment, archaeologists are still uncovering many findings and mysteries. Finding treasures such as jewelry have been discovered, along with colored pottery vessels. Scarab beetle amulets and mud bricks bearing seals of Amenhotep III were also unveiled.
With undermining, multiple mysteries were found. One is an entrance that is believed to have been used as a form of security. According to Dr. Hawass, the entrance is fenced in by a zigzag wall with only one entrance point found in another area.
Unusual burials of a cow
Another mystery, as shown in the above image found by archaeologists, was two unusual burials of a cow. This is currently under investigation in hope of determining the nature and purpose of such a practice.
Lastly, there was a burial of a person found with his arms outstretched to his sides and the remains of a rope wrapped around his knees. Because of the location and odd positioning of the skeleton, this finding is also under investigation.
What to Expect Next
According to Dr. Hawass, “the mission has uncovered many findings, and further excavations are needed to determine what happened to cause people to leave the city.” It is only the start of this marvels discovery, and much more is needed to be found in order to answer many hidden mysteries of the “Lost Golden City.”
While the discovery unfolds, Egypt is ready for political stability and to increase and enhance the tourism industry. With Promoting Egypt’s ancient heritage, the country is seeking to bring back visitors. Now that you have been informed about this amazing discovery, you can check out Arab America’s blog here for more news regarding the Arab World!
