Egypt: a city of craftsmen over 3,000 years old springs from the sands in Luxor

Workshops, kilns, brick walls, pottery and jewelry ... In some ways, the city of craftsmen linked to King Amenhotep III, dating back more than 3,000 years, still seems to be alive.

Buried under the sand for millennia, the ruins of this ancient city located on the west bank of the Nile, near Luxor, were presented to the press on Saturday by the Egyptian authorities, eager to promote cultural tourism.

“We found only a portion of the city,” says Zahi Hawass, archaeologist and former Minister of Antiquities, according to which “the city stretches west and north”.

The excavations must continue for a few more years, specifies the one who has been piloting the excavations since September 2020.

"A great fish covered with gold"

A series of clay brick walls, as well as streets passing between the buildings are now visible on the site.

"We found three main districts: one for the administration, a dormitory for the workers, and one for the industry", details Zahi Hawass.

Another place was reserved for the production of dried meat.

Among other discoveries, Zahi Hawass cites "a place for sewing, for making sandals", as well as "molds for amulets" and small statues.

Archaeologists also found a "large gold-covered fish" that may have been revered, according to the construction manager.

For this follower of hyperbole, this discovery is "the most important since that of Tutankhamun's tomb" in 1922.

"We found only a portion of the city."

In #Egypt, the excavations, in the city buried under the sand for millennia near #Louxor, will continue for a few more years.

The city of artisans was presented to the press today #AFP pic.twitter.com/fucqq9Ibdy

- Agence France-Presse (@afpfr) April 10, 2021

Sometimes accused by his peers of being a megalomaniac businessman and of lacking scientific rigor, Zahi Hawass defends himself by displaying his past archaeological discoveries, which he considers "major".

To support the importance of his discovery, the latter can count on José Galan, the head of the Spanish mission of Dra Abu el-Naga, near the site of the ancient city, who recognizes a "fantastic discovery".

"We are more used to discoveries linked to temples and tombs (...) and not so much linked to human settlements", argues the Spanish archaeologist.

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According to archaeologists, the city discovered dates from King Amenhotep III, who came to the throne in 1391 BC, and whose palace is nearby.

The dating was established through seals affixed to pottery.

The city is also linked to the god Aten.

“It's not just a city, we can also see economic activity, workshops, ovens,” praises Mostafa Waziri, secretary general of the Egyptian General Council of Antiquities.

A welcome boost for Egyptian tourism

The discovery, announced on Thursday in a press release by the archaeological mission, could allow Egypt to bring back tourists after years of instability.

The country had already highlighted its archaeological heritage last week by organizing a highly publicized parade of pharaoh mummies in Cairo.

In January, the authorities had unveiled to the public about fifty sarcophagi over 3,000 years old.

These “treasures” had been discovered at Saqqara, about fifteen kilometers south of the famous pyramids of the Giza plateau.

Several archaeologists including the Egyptian Tarek Farag have claimed that the area in which the discovery was made was excavated over 100 years ago, and that the city in question was discovered there.

But for Mostafa Waziri as for Zahi Hawass, the previous excavations had not taken place in the same place, but further south.