Egypt uncovers Byzantine city in western desert and ancient tombs

Egypt uncovers Byzantine city in western desert and ancient tombs

Egypt has announced two major archaeological discoveries: a well-preserved Byzantine-era residential city in the western desert and a collection of ancient tombs near Alexandria. The findings, unveiled on Saturday, July 4, 2026, are intended to provide detailed insights into ancient daily life and support a tourism sector that serves as a primary source of foreign currency for the country.

The Dakhla Oasis Settlement

In the western province of New Valley, archaeologists have uncovered a thriving fourth-century city at the Ain El-Sabeel site in the Dakhla Oasis. Constructed entirely of mud brick, the settlement features a highly organized urban grid. According to Hisham el-Leithy, secretary general of the supreme council of antiquities, the layout consists of north-south thoroughfares intersected by east-west streets that form public spaces and open squares.

The city was designed for security and self-sufficiency. Mahmoud Massoud, who chairs the archaeological mission, noted the presence of a heavily fortified structure with thick defensive walls and two watchtowers positioned to safeguard the outskirts. At the head of the settlement stands a basilica church dating to the mid-fourth century, which overlooks the main streets.

Residential discoveries include homes with vaulted roofs and reception halls. One such structure is the house of Tisous, a church deacon from the second half of the fourth century. Another building, the House of Tabibus, dates to the early fourth century; experts believe this structure may have served as a house church before the city's basilica was built.

Evidence of domestic and economic activity was found throughout the site:

• Food Production: Excavators found kitchens, bread ovens, and stone grinding tools.
• Currency: The team recovered bronze coins with Latin inscriptions, Christian symbols, and portraits of Byzantine emperors, as well as gold coins from the reign of Roman emperor Constantius II, who ruled from 337 to 361.
• Written Records: Diaa Zahran, head of the Islamic, Coptic and Jewish antiquities department, reported the discovery of approximately 200 pottery fragments known as ostraca. Inscribed in Greek and Coptic, these fragments served as writing material for correspondence, commercial transactions, and sales receipts.
• Domestic Goods: Findings included clay lamps, domestic pottery, and glass vials used for perfumes and oils.

The Dakhla Oasis is currently on the UNESCO Tentative List for potential World Heritage status.

Discoveries at Marina el-Alamein

Separately, a mission led by Eman Abdel-Khaliq has uncovered 18 ancient tombs at the Marina el-Alamein site, located about 100 kilometers west of Alexandria. These new finds bring the total number of tombs at the site to 48, consisting of seven surface limestone-built tombs and 11 rock-cut tombs, some of which reach eight meters deep.

Inside the tombs, archaeologists found altars, limestone basins, plates, lamps, amphorae, and pottery vessels. Abdel-Khaliq identified a 2.5-meter-long granite sarcophagus containing skeletal remains currently under study. A plaster sphinx statue was also discovered nearby.

The mission also found four gold pieces placed inside the mouths of some deceased individuals. Abdel-Khaliq referred to this practice as the golden tongue, noting it was associated with the funerary beliefs of the era.

Archaeologists believe Marina el-Alamein is the ancient Greco-Roman port city of Leukaspis. Built in the second century and flourishing until the fourth, the city was a hub for rich merchants in the olive and wheat trade who built villas in the area. The site was nearly destroyed by a tsunami in the fourth century. Other rare finds in a Greco-Roman cemetery at the site include the complete skeletal remains of two wild boars, animals associated with the deity Seth, who represented violence and chaos in ancient Egyptian mythology.

Economic Context

These discoveries occur as Egypt's tourism industry recovers from the coronavirus pandemic and years of violence and political turmoil following the 2011 uprising. Official data shows a record 19 million tourists visited Egypt last year, representing a 21 per cent increase from 2024. In the first four months of 2026, 6.1 million tourists visited, compared to 5.7 million during the same window in 2025.