Egypt Announces Byzantine Era Archaeological Discovery

The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced an archaeological discovery in the south of the country dating back to the Byzantine era. The ministry stated on Saturday that the Egyptian archaeological mission working in the archaeological area of Mir in the city of Quseya, Asyut Governorate, managed to uncover parts of some structures belonging to the Byzantine era and several burials from the Late Period. Mustafa Waziri, the Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, emphasized in a statement the significance of the discovery, indicating the importance of the site during the Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, and Late Periods. He noted the text of prayers uncovered on one of the walls of these structures, written in black ink in eight horizontal lines in Coptic script, above which were shelves made of clay and straw that might have been used to hold the monk's supplies and preserve manuscripts. It is worth mentioning that the Mir necropolis contains a number of rock-cut tombs entirely hewn into the rock dating back to the Old and Middle Kingdoms.