fromourEgyptCorrespondent

New Museum at Suez Work began in 2001 on the National Museum of Suez; it should be finished by the beginning of 2008. Its two thousand, two hundred square metres will contain many objects from the time of the pharaohs, and from the Coptic and Islamic periods; these will be displayed on two floors. On the first floor will be a VIP hall, a display area, a lecture room, library, magazine and a restoration laboratory. The second floor will be the main display hall with the usual features of a state-of-the-art museum. The museum is close to the port area of Tawfiq, from which one should be able to visit it from cruise boats. I will supply more information when it becomes available.

News from the Temple of Karnak On a recent visit to Karnak temple, I met with Mansour Boriak and Ibrahim Suileman. Ibrahim (see photo. below) is the Director of Karnak Temple and has been in this position for the past four years. During this time he has been involved with many changes and discoveries in the Karnak area. He and his team have recently moved into their new offices following the demolition of the old offices, which were at the front of the temple.

The photo. above was taken especially for AE by Mansour from the top of the first pylon of the temple. It shows the huge area that has been cleared in front of the temple and the view towards the river. The new excavations are to the left of the avenue of sphinxes. Since my last report on Karnak in AE (Aug./Sept. 2007), more new discoveries have been made, following the removal of the old offices and the French Mission house. The excavations in these locations have revealed many new finds, both Roman and ancient Egyptian. In the early seventies, the French Mission discovered two ramps leading to the temple. I am pleased to report that Mansour’s team has found a third ramp (see photo. below) dating from the Twenty-fifth Dynasty. It is more than likely there is a fourth ramp close by. The purpose of these ramps seems to be as access points to the temple quayside from the Nile. These ramps lost their function in Roman times due to excessive Nile deposits when the area became silted up. Pottery and pieces of statues have been found in the area together with inscribed blocks in the newly discovered ramp. A stone receptacle from the Twenty-fifth Dynasty was found at the bottom of the ramp. It is

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ANCIENTEGYPTDecember 2007/January 2008 from our EgyptCorrespondent

thought that it may have been brought out of the temple and left there, but for what purpose no one knows (see photo. above, with Moamen Saad Mohamed, and on the right, Moamen with some inscribed blocks still partly buried). Roman irrigation systems have been discovered and cleaned behind the avenue of sphinxes. Work continues in an area which now appears to be a Roman Bath. A sixteen-seated bathhouse on a mosaic floor has been completely uncovered and cleaned (see photo. below). The seats are set around a central podium, and in Roman times the baths may have been covered by a dome. A similar bath house has been found in Abussia Magna near Alexandria. There are also similar baths in the Faiyum.

A large pot of Roman coins with about fifty pieces inside was found in this area. These have been sent away for cleaning and analysis. The photo. (bottom left) was taken at the time of the discovery. Another find (see photo. below) was a damaged statue, a torso, probably of a king, wearing the usual kilt. Salah, Mohamed and Rees Mohamed, three archaeologists who have worked continuously on this area, expect to make more discoveries. Mansour and Ibrahim are very pleased with excavations at Karnak and say within the few months the roads around the temple and open plaza will be complete to give a panoramic view from the Nile to the temple pylons. Photos: courtesy of Mansour Boriak.

ANCIENTEGYPTDecember 2007/January 2008

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