Egypt Unearths Byzantine Desert City and Ancient Tombs to Boost Tourism
Egypt, grappling with a severe economic crisis, relies heavily on tourism alongside the strategic Suez Canal for income. Recently, archaeologists uncovered a Byzantine-era city in the Western Desert, part of the Sahara, covering about 680,000 square kilometers, roughly two-thirds of Egypt's territory. The discovery was made in the Dakhla Oasis, one of the seven oases in the Western Desert, dating back to the 4th century when Egypt was under Byzantine rule.
The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities revealed that the site includes urban layouts with north-south and east-west streets forming public squares, remains of a mid-4th century basilica church, and two watchtowers. The oasis, located in Egypt's southwestern New Valley Governorate, is on UNESCO's tentative list for World Heritage status. Dr. Mahmoud Masoud, leading the excavation, described fortified structures with thick walls, homes with vaulted roofs, and the residence of Tisous, a deacon believed to have hosted religious gatherings before the basilica's construction.
Artifacts found include bread ovens, kitchens, grinding stones, well-preserved bronze coins bearing Byzantine emperors' portraits, Latin inscriptions, Christian symbols, and gold coins from Emperor Constantius II's reign (337-361 AD). Dr. Dia Zahran noted about 200 pottery shards inscribed with commercial transactions and correspondence, shedding light on daily life.
Additionally, 18 ancient tombs were discovered at the Marina el-Alamein archaeological site, about 100 kilometers west of Alexandria. These include 11 rock-cut tombs averaging 8 meters deep and seven limestone surface tombs, totaling 48 tombs at the site. Excavations led by Iman Abd El-Khalik uncovered a 2.5-meter granite sarcophagus with skeletal remains, a plaster sphinx statue, and four gold coins placed in the mouths of some deceased, a customary ritual of the period.
The Marina el-Alamein site, near the northern coast town of El Alamein, was identified in 1986 as the ancient Greek-Roman port city Leukaspis, founded in the 2nd century and flourishing until the 4th century. Authorities hope these findings will revitalize Egypt's tourism sector, which suffered from political instability and the COVID-19 pandemic. Encouragingly, tourism saw a rebound with a record 19 million visitors in 2025, a 21% increase from 2024, and 6.1 million tourists in the first four months of 2026 compared to 5.7 million the previous year.
