Archaeologists have uncovered an ancient temple dedicated to an Egyptian sun god, according to the country’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. The temple belonged to King Nyuserre and is 12 miles south of Cairo, in the necropolis of Abusir, where several smaller pyramids are located. It is part of a sprawling network and was first discovered in 1901, but could not be excavated due to high water levels. More than 100 years later, an archeological mission led by Italians Massimiliano Notsolo and Rosanna Pirelli of the Universities of Turin and Naples, respectively, “uncovered the remains of the temple of the valley of the solar group of king ‘Ni Osar Ra’ [Nyuserre] from the fifth dynasty [2498 B.C. to 2345 B.C.], during excavation works underway at the site.” It is thought that the 4,500-year-old burial site measures more than 10,000 square feet “with a unique architecture that ranks it among the largest and most remarkable valley temples in the Memphis necropolis,” CBS News reported. The site contained pieces of a chess-like game called Sunnat, granite entranceways, and a slope running to the river Nile, which was “likely connecting the temple to the Nile or one of its branches,” according to the ministry.
Read it at CBS News
