Temple dig in Egypt yields new results

LUXOR, Egypt－A Chinese-Egyptian archaeological mission has breathed life into the once-abandoned Montu Temple in the Karnak Temple complex of Egypt's monument-rich city of Luxor, says an official with Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

Mustafa al-Saghir, director-general of Karnak Temple Complex Antiquities, says "although the joint Egyptian-Chinese mission has been working for two seasons only, it has achieved very significant results at the temple".

The mission is performing excavations through which the architectural elements of the temple are being revealed, he says.

"There are also restoration work taking place in many parts of the temple ... the mission is also conducting special studies, such as the study of pottery and inscriptions found in the temple and its buildings," the official adds.

Saghir points out that the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the mission's work, revealing that the Chinese team could not come to Egypt to complete its work this season.

"We are working at the site to avoid any negative effects ... the Egyptian crew is currently completing some minor tasks to ensure the work at the temple can carry on," he adds.

The Egyptian official says there are many archaeological missions operating in Egypt, adding that it is always a good thing to have missions that can help save and unearth Egyptian antiquities and heritage.

He stresses that the members of the Chinese mission have great knowledge in the field of archaeology, noting that China also has a great and ancient civilization.

"The Egyptian members of the mission were chosen carefully ...they have great experience in Egyptian archaeology," Saghir says.

"Cooperation between the two sides is strong, and this is the main reason that the mission was able to achieve great results in just two seasons," he adds.

Saghir says a Chinese study and research center for Egyptian antiquities will be established in Egypt, which will focus on studying ancient Egyptian archaeology and its civilization, as well as sponsoring the activities of the Chinese archaeological missions that will work in Egypt in the future.

"Research centers help maintain the work of missions and raise the level of scientific research," Saghir says, expressing hope that more Chinese missions will come to work in Egypt.

"China has state-of-the-art technology for use in excavations and restoration... this is very helpful for us in Egypt," he says.

The first Egyptian-Chinese archaeological mission in Egypt is the outcome of a protocol of cooperation signed between the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. They formed a joint Egyptian-Chinese archaeological mission to do the excavation work of the relics at Montu Temple, which was untouched and closed to visitors for decades.

The first season of the joint mission started in late November 2018 and continued for about four months.

In a recent interview, the head of the Chinese archaeological mission Jia Xiaobing explained that further excavation and documentation work has been undertaken during the second season of the Egyptian-Chinese archaeological mission at the Montu Temple.

Meanwhile, Saghir says Egyptian archaeological teams at the Karnak Temple complex took advantage of last year's pandemic-related closure to restore the 29 statues of rams in the first courtyard of the Karnak Temple.

"The statues were in a very poor condition due to weathering," Saghir says, adding that the project is the largest restoration carried out by Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities at the complex in recent years.

"We are very proud that this project was carried out by Egyptian hands despite the challenges we faced due to the spread of the pandemic, as well as the limited capabilities."

The official says that, last year, many projects have been implemented and a number of discoveries have been made in Luxor, which greatly helped to create job opportunities.

Saghir says implementing such projects has helped seasonal workers in the city earn money to sustain their families after they lost their jobs due to COVID-19 containment measures imposed by the government.

"This mainly benefited those who work in the tourism sector, which was suspended for months," Saghir says.

Egypt, one of the world's oldest civilizations, has been working hard to preserve its archaeological heritage and discover the secrets of its ancient artifacts.

Over the past few years, the country has witnessed several big archaeological discoveries, including Pharaonic tombs, statues, coffins, mummies, burial sites and funerary gardens.

Xinhua