Archaeologists in Egypt reported that they have made one of the most significant discoveries in decades.
A team of archaeologists were excavating the Abu Ghurab site – South of Cairo – and discovered the remains of a sun temple on the 15th of November 2021. It is believed that only six sun temples were built by Egyptian pharaohs, according to BBC. Whilst the pyramids were designed to ensure a pharaoh’s status as a divine being in the afterlife, sun temples served as their shrine, and were smaller in size.
During a 1898 mission, archeologists working the Abu Ghurab site discovered the sun temple of Nyuserra, the sixth king of the 5th dynasty, who ruled Egypt around the mid-25th century BCE. Since then, no further discoveries were made until yesterday.
Mission co-director Massimiliano Nuzzolo expressed the significance of the discovery of the third sun temple: ‘The archaeologists of the 19th century excavated only a very small part of this mud bricks building below the stone temple of Nyuserra and concluded that this was a previous building phase of the same temple.’ The temple was built using mud bricks, and stone elements. Amongst the temple ruins other important and in tact artificats were discovered, which will be analyzed to discover more about this time period, and the temple in particular.
Picture: Massimiliano Nuzzolo
ALSO READ
Turkey adjusts travel restrictions for South African travellers
