An Egyptian-Chinese archaeological mission that has been ongoing at the Montu Temple for 7 years, announced the discovery of a sacred lake covering more than 50 square meters. According to the archaeologists, the lake is a well-preserved, defined structure that hasn’t been recorded in any past archaeologist’s archives.
This is the first Egyptian-Chinese joint archaeological mission formed by the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. It has been officially conducting archaeological excavations and research at the Montu Temple since 2018.
The lake marks a significant discovery in Egyptian archaeology; as lakes were an essential component of ancient Egyptian temple architecture They represented a holy source of water, reserved exclusively for ritual use within the temple.
Jia Xiaobing, the Chinese head of the project, stressed that this sacred lake in southern Montu Temple is the only sacred lake in the history of Egyptian archaeology that has undergone systematic and scientific excavation, providing new materials for research. He also revealed that this discovery completes a unique layout of two lakes that align north and south, together with a previously known sacred lake in Northern Montu Temple.
Hend Aly, an Egyptian senior inspector at the Montu Temple and a member of the project, said the discovery crowned years of hard work by the joint mission. She revealed that the team applied an advanced technological methodology to carry out the mission.
We started with a big pile of sand and dust, and now you can see the result of our joint work. This beautiful sacred lake will open new paths for more discoveries in the future.
However, due to limitations caused by the groundwater level, the foundation of the lake has not yet been fully explored, and the date of its construction is yet to be determined, Aly added.
Beyond the lake, excavations uncovered three chapels dedicated to the god Osiris, as well as dozens of Osiris statuettes of various sizes and materials. This discovery provides new archaeological evidence that contributes to reconstructing history related to the 25th and 26th Dynasties.
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