First mud brick Pharaonic temple unearthed in Kharga
Egypt, History, 10/27/2001

Egyptian-French mission at Dosh, South of Al-Kharga oasis, Thursday unearthed a Pharaonic temple that dates back to the 27th Dynasty era.

Hundreds of statues of Osiris, god of the underworld, said Gaballah Ali Gaballah, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA).

Built of mud bricks, the 1.5 metre high temple is composed of two halls.

The first contains several columns and bigger than the second hall, where there is a corridor that leads to the sanctum sanctorum, south direction of the temple, said Gaballah.

Kharga Antiquities Director, Bahgat Ahmad said the temple is one of the rarest unearthed so far as it is built of mud bricks, not of stones as was the custom in that time.

Some 300 bronze statues of god Osiris 20-30 centimeters were found standing on a pedestal with inscriptions of the names of Osiris on it, he said .

Osiris was worshipped in the area surrounding the temple until the Persian era, added Ahmad.

A report on the find will be submitted to Culture Minister Farouk Hosni to endorse appropriations necessary to continue excavation and restorations, in a way to prepare the area for tourist visits.

On the other hand, Gaballah said the incidents witnessed worldwide in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks against the United States did not affect the work of foreign archaeological missions in Egypt, adding no single license was cancelled.

Gaballah dismissed in statements to reporters Thursday what an Italian newspaper published about a complaint by one of the people working within the archaeological mission of Strasbourg University on Egypt's halting of excavations in the areas most likely to go under extremists' attack.

Previous Stories:
  Mummy believed to be of Ramsis I, found at Atlanta museum   (10/25/2001)
  Graeco-Roman Museum starts restoration of ancient coins   (10/25/2001)
  Pharaonic, Roman tombs unearthed in Beheira   (10/24/2001)

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