A joint Egyptian–French mission has uncovered two major layers of history at the Sheikh Al Arab Hammam site in Qena Governorate, shedding rare light on life in Upper Egypt across very different eras.
🏘️ An 18th-Century Mudbrick City
At Al Arki village, archaeologists revealed the remains of a mudbrick residential settlement dating to the time of Sheikh Al Arab Hammam, a prominent regional figure of the 1700s. According to Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the site is especially important because written records about this area are scarce.
Excavations uncovered:
Six residential houses with service buildings
Part of an industrial zone
Mudbrick domes on some homes, palm-trunk roofing on others
White lime plaster traces, indicating varied architectural techniques
Artefacts paint a vivid picture of daily life: bronze coins, pottery fragments, jewellery, textile remains — even children’s toys. It doesn’t feel like an isolated outpost; it feels lived-in and active.
⚱️ A Coptic Necropolis Beneath
Even more fascinating, beneath the 18th-century settlement lay part of a Coptic necropolis from the Byzantine period.
The burial ground was identified after a limestone coffin lid — reused as paving near a city entrance — hinted at something older below. Geophysical surveys confirmed the presence of tombs.
The necropolis includes:
Simple ground burials
Mudbrick burial enclosures
Linen wrappings and Coptic-style tunics decorated with geometric, floral, and animal motifs
Crosses and inscriptions
A copper stamp used to decorate baked goods
The discovery bridges two major historical periods — Byzantine and Islamic — in one layered site. Experts say it offers crucial insight into funerary practices, local industry, and population patterns over centuries.
Bio-archaeological studies, led in part by researchers from the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology, will now examine the remains of around 23 individuals to assess diet, health, age, and possible mummification practices.
There’s something powerful about this kind of layered excavation. An 18th-century neighborhood built unknowingly atop centuries-older Christian burials. Daily life above, sacred memory below. Upper Egypt just keeps stacking its stories on top of each other.
