Egypt : A huge archaeological treasure was found under a hospital

The Egyptian authorities announced the discovery of a huge archaeological treasure under a university hospital under construction in the city of Benha in the north of the country.

The company executing the project to establish the new university hospital in the city of Banha, Qalyubia Governorate, discovered the presence of a coffin and some artifacts inside the project, after completing the implementation of the first phase of the project, which is concrete walls to prevent leakage in the entire hospital.

The advisor to the President of Benha University in Qalyubia, Mohamed Saeed, revealed that “after completing the implementation of the first phase within the construction work of the new Benha University Hospital, and when excavation work began, a coffin was found and its lid, which weighs about 50 tons of stone blocks, was engraved inside on The upper part is in hieroglyphics.

The advisor explained that the Antiquities Authority was immediately notified, which took the necessary action in the matter, and the coffin and artifacts were transferred to prevent disruption to the project’s workflow.

The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities began transporting the treasure to the Qalyubia antiquities area, in preparation for the start of comprehensive maintenance and restoration work.

The Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Mostafa Waziri, explained that the process of raising and transporting the coffin was carried out in accordance with the strict scientific principles and standards followed, stressing that a working team of specialists from the Supreme Council of Antiquities and the Grand Egyptian Museum carried out preliminary restoration work at the excavation site, where mechanical cleaning and strengthening of the coffin and the lid were carried out.

For his part, the Director of the Scientific Office of the Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Muhammad Al-Saidi, indicated that “the coffin is made of quartzite stone, and dates back to the era of King Psamtik I, and its weight with the lid is about 62 tons.”