Ancient lost city discovered in Egypt
Archaeologist in Egypt have discovered a lost city that is thought to date back up to 7,000 years.
The site was discovered by the River Nile, close to the Temple of Seti the First in Abydos, and it contained houses, tools, pottery and large graves.
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It was found during excavations conducted by an Egyptian archaeological mission belonging to the Ministry of Antiquities.
The head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector, Mahmoud Afify, told the Egypt Independent that the city would have been home to senior officials and tomb builders responsible for creating the cemeteries of the royal family in Abydos city.
Abydos is one of the oldest cities in ancient Egypt, and the new discovery could pave the way for new insights into the area.
Abydos was Egypt's capital towards the end of the predynastic period and during the rule of the first four dynasties, according to the Guardian.
The Ministry of Antiquities said in a statement: "The size of the graves discovered in the cemetery is larger in some instances than royal graves in Abydos dating back to the first dynasty, which proves the importance of the people buried there and their high social standing during this early era of ancient Egyptian history."
The graves were found in the southern province of Sohag, which is also home the city of Luxor, one of Egypt's most popular tourist areas.
Speaking to the BBC, Professor Chris Eyre, an Egyptologist at the University of Liverpool, said: "About a mile behind where this material is said to be we have the necropolis with royal tombs going from before history to the period where we start getting royal names, we start getting identifiable kings.
"So, this appears to be the town, the capital at the very beginning of Egyptian history."
The find comes as the country is trying to breathe life back into its tourist industry, which has suffered greatly since President Hosni Mubarak was overthrown in 2011.
