Ancient Egypt Temples Found at Gateway Fortress

Ancient Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II (right) offers gifts to Geb, god of earth, in a 3,000-year-old carving discovered in the largest mud-brick temple yet found on northeastern Egypt's northern Sinai Peninsula (map).

The landmark is among four ancient temples discovered at a site near the Egyptian border near the Suez Canal, the country's archaeology agency announced on April 21.

Found among the ruins of a fortified city, the temples would likely have been the first stop in Egypt for travelers from ancient Palestine and other points east. Designed to impress on visitors Egypt's grandeur and might, the city appears to have been the Egyptian military's headquarters during the New Kingdom (1539-1075 B.C.), a time of war and conquest (ancient Egypt time line).

"This temple was very, very beautiful. [Visitors] would understand this temple is a good example of Egyptian culture," said Mohamed Abdel-Maqsoud, who made the discovery for Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities.



Its foundations revealed by recent excavations, this 60,000-square-foot (5,600-square-meter) colonnaded structure was the largest of four newfound temples structures on Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, all built about 3,000 to 3,500 years ago.

Built during different reigns, the temples and other ruins in the former fortified city--known as Tell El-Habua--are testament to the importance of the site. "Each king in the New Kingdom [period] built something there," archaeologist Abdel-Maqsoud said.

Invaders would have had to penetrate 49-foot-thick (15-meter-thick) walls after making it past 15 six-story-tall defensive towers, Egypt's archaeology agency says



Archaeologists have found about 60 inscribed two-ton limestone blocks at Egypt's 3,000-year-old Tell El-Habua site--such as this one from the doorjamb of the temple of Thutmose II, the earliest pharaoh depicted at the site, whose discovery was announced April 21, 2009.

"There're not many inscriptions from North Sinai, but now we've opened the gate, and I'm sure we'll find many more," said archaeologist Abdel-Maqsoud, after 25 years of exploring the area.

All the inscriptions will be transferred to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.



In a rare inscription found at Tell El-Habua, the ancient eastern gateway to Egypt, Pharaoh Thutmose II is given an ankh, or key of life, by Ra-Horakhty--an amalgamation of the sun god Ra and the falcon-headed Horus. Such artistic intermingling of kings and gods identifies Tell El-Habua site as a religious center, as well as a military base.

The site formed part of the Horus Way--a long road of fortifications that protected Egypt's eastern front from invaders--and was a key starting point for military campaigns during Egypt's acquisitive New Kingdom period.