Egypt has made significant strides in uncovering its ancient past with two major archaeological discoveries announced on July 4, 2026. In the Western Desert, a well-preserved Byzantine-era city has been unearthed in the Dakhla Oasis while near Alexandria 18 ancient tombs have been discovered at the Marina El-Alamein site. These findings are expected to provide valuable insights into the region’s history and boost Egypt’s vital tourism sector.
The Byzantine City in Dakhla Oasis
The newly discovered city in the Dakhla Oasis dates back to the fourth century and offers a detailed look at daily lifeurban development and economic activities during the Byzantine era. The city features residential and religious structures including a basilica-style church that stands at the settlement’s head, overlooking its main streets. The layout includes north-south thoroughfares intersected by east-west streets forming open squares and public spaces.
The city is heavily fortified with thick defensive walls and includes many houses with reception halls and vaulted roofs. Among the notable findings is the house of Tisous identified as a church deacon, which archaeologists believe served as a house church before the construction of the city’s basilica. The house dates to the second half of the 14th century.
The excavation also uncovered bread ovenskitchensstone grinding tools and bronze coins bearing portraits of Byzantine emperors, Latin inscriptions, and Christian symbols. A group of gold coins dating to the reign of Roman emperor Constantius II (337-361) was also found. Additionally, a collection of about 200 pottery fragments known as ostraca were discovered. These fragments have inscriptions detailing commercial transactionscorrespondence and other details of daily life.
The Ancient Tombs at Marina El-Alamein
Separately, 18 ancient tombs were discovered at the Marina El-Alamein archaeological site, located about 100 kilometers west of Alexandria. The findings include 11 rock-cut tombs with an average depth of eight meters, and seven surface limestone-built tombs bringing the total number of tombs found at the site to 48. The site is believed to be the ancient Greco-Roman port city of Leukaspis which was built in the second century and thrived until the fourth century.
The tombs contained a variety of artifacts, including pottery vesselsamphoraelampsplatesaltars and limestone basins. Notably, a 2.5-meter-long granite sarcophagus with skeleton remains was found, along with the remains of a plaster sphinx statue. Four gold pieces were placed inside the mouths of some of the deceased, a practice known as the golden tongue associated with funerary beliefs of that era.
The discoveries at both sites are part of Egypt’s ongoing efforts to uncover and preserve its rich archaeological heritage. The Tourism and Antiquities Ministry hopes that these findings will attract more visitors and contribute to the country’s economic recovery, particularly in the tourism sector, which has been impacted by recent political turmoil and the coronavirus pandemic. In 2026, Egypt saw a record 19 million tourists, a 21% increase from 2026, and the first four months of 2026 have already seen 6.1 million tourists, compared with 5.7 million during the same period in 2026.
