"Egypt Sunken Secrets" exhibition will be touring 3 European capitals

The ministry of antiquities agreed to hold an antiquities exhibition named “Egypt’ Sunken Secrets” in 3 European capitals for a year.  

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The ministry agreed to an offer by Franck Goddio, founder of the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology to hold this exhibition for 600 thousand Euros plus 1 euro on each ticket after the first 100 thousand visitors 

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The exhibition will display 293 artefacts were chosen from different Egyptian museums. 18 from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, 22 from the Graeco-roman museum, 31 from Alexandria National museum, 15 from Bibliotheca Alexandrina museum and 207 artefacts from the Sunken monuments department.

First stop for the exhibition will be in the Arab World Institute in Paris between 7th of September 2015 till 7th of January 2016 then it moves to Berlin from 15th of April till 15th of August 2016 and last stop in London from 15th of November 2016 until 15th of March 2017.

The exhibition is insured for 150 million Egyptian pounds.  

A New discovery in North Sinai including imported amphorae from Rhodes Island

Dr. Mohamed Ibrahim, Minister of Antiquities announced the discovery of an industrial zone include a large number of specialised workshops in making pottery and cooper dated back to the Graeco-Roman era in Tel Abou Sayfi known as Roman Sila where the Roman fort build by Emperor Maximinus Thrax Ca. 200 AD, east of Suez canal and to the south of Qantra in North Sinai.

The Egyptian mission working in the area managed to discover a number of administrative buildings and warehouses as well as workers houses and a number of amphorae imported from Rhodes Island.

The discovery discloses the links between Egypt and the different Mediterranean ports in foreign trade showing the import and export goods.

Dr. Mohamed Abd El Maqsoud, the director of the Egyptian mission said that the mission discovered a limestone block with bears a Roman inscription explains details of the military history in the roman time such as the disposition of the roman army inside the fortress as well as a number of Bronze coins and pottery statues of God Bes

The excavation work started in the site since 1911 by the Egyptian Antiquities authority headed by Mohamed Shaban. In 1914, a French team working for the Suez Canal Company started excavations. During the Israeli occupation, Ben Goreon University mission did some work on the site and since the site was used as a military base so a large part was destroyed. When the SCA was doing routine check in the area for the digging of El Salam Canal between 1994 and 2000, they also did excavations for few seasons making major discoveries.   

Greco-Roman tombs were discovered in Alexandria

Dr. Mohamed Ibrahim announced the discovery of a number of Greco-Roman tombs at Gabbari necropolis in Alexandria.

The tombs were discovered during soil tests by antiquities inspectors before construction work starts at the site.

The tombs are 2 levels burial cavities, the lower level were submerged under the underground water.

The necropolis knows as “City of the dead” was discovered during bridge construction in the western part of the city where over 40 tombs were found in the 20^th Century.

Dr. Mohamed Mostafa, director of Alexandria Antiquities, said that the discovered tombs are a part of the western cemetery which was devoted to bury the public neither non-royal nor non-officials. He also referred that no remains of mummies, skeletons or pottery were found in these tombs so far.