Egyptian archaeologists unearth treasures from ancient mining complex

Egyptian officials recently announced the discovery of a 3,000-year-old mining complex, complete with remnants of ancient homes, workshops and even baths.

The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities reported that excavation was conducted at Jabal Sukari, located southwest of the town of Marsa Alam in the Red Sea Governorate, according to a Facebook post published on Feb. 25.

The statement explained that among the discoveries were the remains of a mining camp dating back three millennia. It included “remnants of a complete factory for extracting gold from quartz veins,” a translated version of the statement read.

The camp was sophisticated, and there is proof of “crushing, grinding, and pulverizing quartz stone, passing through filtration and sedimentation basins to the smelting stage in clay furnaces and gold extraction.”

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Interestingly, the living quarters of the miners were also discovered, along with “workshops, mining areas, places of worship, administrative buildings, Ptolemaic baths, and architectural elements from the Roman and Islamic eras,” the press release explained.

Archaeologists also found 628 ostraca, which were broken pieces of pottery and stone that were used to write and draw. The ostraca were written in hieroglyphic scripts, along with Egyptian demotic and Greek.

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Excavators also unearthed several Ptolemaic-era bronze coins, plus “a large collection of terracotta statues depicting human and animal forms from the Greco-Roman period, and small stone statues, some incomplete, of Bastet and Harpocrates, as well as five offering tables from the Ptolemaic era.”

“Additionally, a variety of pottery vessels of different sizes, shapes, and uses were found, including those for daily life, perfumes, medicines, and incense, as well as a collection of beads made from gemstones and decorative tools made from crafted shells,” the Facebook post added.

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The site was located near Sukari Gold Mine, which opened in 2009, and officials noted that the unearthed artifacts were relocated to a “safe area” away from the activities of the modern mine.

In a statement, the Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities noted the significance of the project and said that it expanded “understanding of the techniques used by ancient Egyptians to extract gold from rocks, and [helped historians gain] a better understanding of the social, religious, and economic life of miners in the industrial cities of the Eastern Desert throughout the ages.”

Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy “expressed his happiness” about the discoveries, which he said “reveal the historical secrets of this area.”

“[Fathy] emphasized that this project is part of the Ministry’s commitment to preserving Egypt’s cultural heritage while aligning with the Egyptian state’s plan for developmental and economic projects,” the statement added.

The latest finds are among the many discoveries that have been made in Egypt so far in 2025. Last month, archaeologists came across the long-lost tomb of King Thutmose II, marking the first royal tomb discovery since 1922.