Parts of King ‪#‎Nakhtanebu‬ I's shrine uncovered in Cairo

Basalt blocks of King Nakhtanebu I's shrine were unearthed today in Matariya area in Ain Shams, Cairo

Eldamaty (in black) listening to the explanation of the head of the excavation mission

Blocks of King Nakhtanebu I’s shrine were unearthed during excavation works carried out by an Egyptian-German archaeological mission in the area known in ancient times as Oun city, now Ain Shams

Minister of Antiquities Mamdouh Eldamaty told Ahram Online that the mission also uncovered small limestone blocks of a number of columns and the ceiling of the temple of 30th Dynasty King Nakhtanebu I. The ceiling is decorated with stars.

A block depicting god Hapy

Parts of Kings Meneptah and Nakhtanebu I statues were also found along with a collection of mud bricks used in the fence that once surrounded Oun.

Mahmoud Afifi, head of the Ancient Egypt Department at the antiquities ministry, explained that the sizes of the newly discovered blocks of the shrine range between 75cm and 1.25 cm, carved in Basalt and engraved with the different names of Egypt’s regions at that time.

Other blocks are decorated with scenes depicting the god Hapi holding offerings. Further excavation is now in full swing in an attempt to unearth more of the shrine’s blocks, in order to restore it to its original form.

part of the shrine depicting king Nakhtanebu I

Oun is one of the oldest cities of ancient Egypt, the capital of the 13th Lower Egyptian nome. Today, it is mostly destroyed, its temples and other buildings used for the construction of medieval Cairo.

Two-millenia-old chapel discovered in #Cairo's #Matariya

Found on the archeological site of the Heliopolis temple, the chapel dates back to the reign of king Nectanebu I in the fourth century BC

A block of the chapel

A German-Egyptian archaeological mission has discovered the lower part of an over-two-millenia-old basalt chapel in Cairo's suburb of Matariya.

Found on the archeological site of the Heliopolis temple, the chapel is believed to have built while Ancient Egyptian king Nectanebu I ruled over Egypt from 380 to 362 BC.

Egypt's minister of antiquities Mamdouh Eldamaty explained that the chapel is made up of several basalt blocks engraved with hieroglyphic text.

“It's a very important discovery,” the minister said, explaining that it is the first time that a chapel has been found within the temple’s walls. 

A team is now working to reduce the level of underground water in the area so as to continue excavations to reveal more of the temple’s secrets, he said.

The archeological team also unearthed a royal statue featuring the cartouche of king Merneptah, who ruled centuries earlier from 1213 to 1203 BC, said Ayman Ashmawi, Egyptian co-director of the mission.

Detrich Rau, German co-director of the mission, added that his team hoped to uncover the rest of the chapel during the next archaeological season, to start in September.