The ‘Lost golden city’ was recently discovered in Egypt. Zahi Hawass discovered the city in 2020, located on the west bank of the Nile near Luxor. This was the largest city to be uncovered in Egypt. The city was named after an Egyptian sun god called Aten, which was uncovered within a few weeks of excavation. This city is believed to have been used during a period widely believed to be the golden era of Egypt. According to Kotarba-Morley (2021), this city was established King Amenhotep III, one of Egypt’s most powerful pharaohs who ruled from 1391-1353. This city was later abandoned and the capital relocated to a city known as Amarna.
Other archeologists had previously looked for this city, but they had been unsuccessful, according to El Azazy (2022). The city’s significance altered how we perceive Egyptian history for all time. The archeologists also desired to see more Egyptian tourist destinations. Residential and administrative areas were among the areas unearthed as they dug deeper. The pharaoh’s homes were remarkably preserved and had a storage room for tools, this indicates that they practiced industrialization. The area is fenced in by a zigzag wall with only one access point, having one single entrance made it easy to limit the entry and exit to the closed area, bringing a sense of security.
Dr. Hawaass stated that the excavation brought numerous priceless artifacts, including jewelry, colored pottery, and mud bricks used to build temples and annexes. What they unearthed was a large city that was filled with riches and was well preserved. It also contained farming implements that demonstrated the practice of farming structural transformation. This place was filled with valuable objects because the tombs were for pharaohs who were religious leaders and were considered to be the divine intermediary between gods and Egyptians (Geggel, 2021). Therefore, when they died, they were buried with riches so that they would live a divine life in the afterlife.
References
El Azazy, S. A. (2022). Tourism development of the cultural heritage and archaeological sites within the national project for sustainable urban development in Egypt. International Journal of Humanities and Education Development (IJHED), 4(2), 53-68. Web.
Geggel, L. (2021). 3,000-year-old “Lost Golden City” discovered in Egypt. LiveScience.
Kotarba-Morley, A. M. (2021). The discovery of the lost city of ‘the Dazzling Aten’will offers vital clues about domestic and urban life in Ancient Egypt. The Conversation. Web.