Archaeology & History

Hidden wall discovered near Egyptian city

By T.K. Randall
December 26, 2016 ·  3 comments

Tombs at the cemetery of Qubbet el-Hawa. Image Credit: CC BY 3.0 Olaf Tausch The wall was discovered by a team working in the elite cemetery of Qubbet el-Hawa near to the Egyptian city of Aswan - a historic site well known for its impressive rock cut tombs.

The find is all the more remarkable given its proximity to a well-used visitor's footpath.

Describing the discovery as "stunning", Nasr Salama, general director of Aswan and Nubia Antiquities, has indicated that new tombs may soon be found within the immediate vicinity.The wall is part of the architectural support for the tombs on the upper terrace at the site and now archaeologists believe that it may also be supporting undiscovered lower-lying tombs as well.

One of the tombs already excavated is thought to have belonged to a woman known as 'Lady Sattjeni' who was an important figure during Egypt's Middle Kingdom ( 2030-1640 BC ).

"The discovery is of a historic importance because Sattjeni is one of the most important figures in the Middle Kingdom, being the mother of Heqaib III and Amaeny-Senb - two of the highest authorities of Elephantine under the reign of Amenemhat III, around 1800-1775 BC," said Dr Mahmoud Afify, head of the Ancient Egyptian Archaeology Sector at the Ministry of Antiquities.

Source: IB Times | Comments (3)

Tags: Egypt, Wall