As part of archaeological excavations at the Sheikh al-Arab Hammam site in the village of El-Araki, Qena Governorate, the joint Egyptian–French archaeological mission succeeded in uncovering parts of a residential town built of mudbrick dating back to the 18th century AD, during the rule of Sheikh al-Arab Hammam. The excavations also revealed an extension of a Coptic cemetery from the Byzantine period lying beneath the discovered town.
Sherif Fathy, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, praised this fruitful cooperation between the Egyptian and French sides, stressing that the project aims to reveal the nature and history of the site and preserve it, ahead of rehabilitating it and adding it to the tourist visit map, especially as it lies in a strategic location midway between Dendera and Abydos, helping boost tourism in the region.
For his part, Dr. Hisham El-Leithy, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, stressed the importance of this discovery in deepening understanding of the nature of life and human activity in Upper Egypt in general and the El-Araki area in particular, given the scarcity of information about it in historical sources.
Dr. Diaa Zahran, Head of the Islamic, Coptic and Jewish Antiquities Sector at the Supreme Council of Antiquities, explained that the excavations uncovered six houses with attached service buildings, next to part of an industrial area. Preliminary studies indicate that some of these houses were covered with mudbrick domes, while the roofs of others were covered with palm trunks. The mission also found traces of white lime plaster in some rooms, while the rest of the town is still being uncovered.
He added that the archaeological finds reflect the richness of the site and the diversity of its activities, including bronze coins, various pottery pieces, children's toys, jewelry, pieces of textile and other evidence of the nature of daily life at the site.
Regarding the discovered Coptic cemetery, Dr. Ahmed El-Shoky, head of the mission, Islamic antiquities expert at the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology (IFAO) and Vice Dean of the Faculty of Archaeology at Ain Shams University, explained that a limestone coffin lid dating back to the Byzantine period was found, having been used as flooring in front of one of the town's entrances, which raised questions about why it was there. As a result, cooperation took place with the National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences to carry out a geophysical survey of the site by a specialized team headed by Dr. Abdel Aziz El-Fadaly. The survey results guided excavation work during the current season, uncovering part of a Coptic cemetery beneath the residential town.
The cemetery contains a number of burials dating back to the Byzantine period, divided into two types: the first is direct burial in the soil, while the second is distinguished by marking the burial area with courses of mudbrick. A number of pottery pieces, linen wrappings and parts of the "tunic" prepared for the deceased and woven in the Coptic tapestry style were also found with these burials, many decorated with floral, geometric and animal decorative bands, as well as cross shapes and some symbols and letters in the Coptic language. A copper stamp that was used to decorate cakes was also found.
Dr. Ahmed El-Shoky stressed that these discoveries are an important scientific addition to the study of settlement patterns, funerary practices and industrial activities in Upper Egypt, and offer new insights into the nature of population concentration and the geographic development of the region from the Byzantine period to the Islamic era.
Dr. Pierre Tallet, Director of the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology, noted that bio-archaeological studies will be carried out on the discovered skeletons to determine the diet, age, sex and health of the individuals buried at the site, numbering about 23 males and females, children, adolescents and adults, especially given traces of mummification on some of them.
Prof. Dr. Abbas Zouache, Director of Studies at the Institute, also stressed the keenness of the Institute and the Sheikh al-Arab Hammam mission to organize field training programs during each excavation season as part of exchanging expertise and transferring knowledge. The current season included training a number of inspectors and restorers from the Nag Hammadi area in excavation, documentation and mudbrick restoration, along with conserving finds and managing and securing the site.
It is worth noting that Hammam bin Youssef bin Ahmed, known as "Sheikh al-Arab Hammam", is one of the most prominent figures of Upper Egypt in the 18th century. He was born in 1709 AD in Farshut, Qena Governorate, and died in 1769 AD. He was the eldest son of Sheikh Youssef, leader of the Hawara tribes, and took power after his father's death, extending his rule to cover the provinces of Upper Egypt from Minya in the north to Aswan in the south. The site is registered among the Islamic and Coptic monuments of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
