The oldest depiction of an Egyptian King wearing the Upper Egyptian crown

“Dr. Maria Carmela Gatto (Director of Aswan-Kom Ombo Archarological Project) made a discovery at Nag el-Hamdulab site(North west of Aswan) of the oldest graffiti shows a King wearing the Upper Egypt headgear(crown) with a group of royal scenes dated back to dynasty zero.” Said Dr. Zahi Hawass. “The find shows many hieroglyphic graffiti and the first drawings shows a complete royal celebration looks exactly like what was known in the different Pharanoic eras, showing the Pharaoh wearing his white crown accompanied by Horus followers or the royal court.”Hawass added.

Dr. Maria Carmela said “This discovery is considered an update or completing the work on the site which was discovered by Dr. Labib Habashi on the west bank on the Nile north of Aswan at Nag El Hamdulab. The new study shows that the site dated back to dynasty Zero which is the same of tomb of Narmer (2960-2770 B.C).
The significance of this discovery is the uniqueness of the rock art of the pre-dynastic era represents a procession of boats superintended by the King who is accompanied by 2 standard bearers, one fan bearer and a dog.”

There is a remarkable similarities could be obviously noticed between Nag El Hamdulab tableaux and the Scorpion mace-head, Narmer mace-head and Narmer palette as the scene shows a man with a bow repress a man held captive lying on the ground. The tableaux was restored by the mission after a severe damage using the original photographs by Dr. Labib Habashi which were kept at the Oriental Institute at Chicago University.

For more about Dr.Maria Gatto, her notes and her work .... Check Here and Here

Treasure gate unearthed in Karnak

Egyptian and French archaeologists have unearthed a 2,700-year-old stone gate belonging to Nubian King Shabaka while digging near Luxor's Karnak temple, the ministry of antiquities announced on Sunday.

(Ptah Temple Excavations)

The gate, which was found to be "in good condition," once led to the room holding the king's treasures.
Mansur Boraik said "It is the first time an item of the 25th dynasty has been found in such good condition, and wasn't ruined by the 26th dynasty,"

  (Conservation and reconstruction work at Ptah Temple)

The large stone door features colourful engravings that depict King Shabaka offering the goddess of truth, Maat, to the god Amun Raa, the chief deity.

"The Egyptian-French mission succeeded in making important discoveries from the 18th to the 25th dynasties," minister of state for antiquities Zahi Hawass said in a statement.

                                     (Treasury of Shabaka)
The mission also unearthed a stone wall surrounding the temple of Ptah, the chief god of the city of Memphis. His temple had been built on the site of an earlier Middle Kingdom temple, and restored by Shabaka. The mud brick wall is 2 meters height and 1 meter depth

The Franco-Egyptian Centre has been working to open the temple to visitors next winter and plans to put Shabaka's gate on display.

                                (Newly found gate of Shabaka)
"The discovery shows that the temple of Karnak still has many secrets to be uncovered and it will do for years to come," Mansour Boraik was quoted as saying in the ministry statement.
Shabaka established the capital at Thebes and was believed to have invested great effort in restoring religious architecture.