Between its golden sand dunes and near its coastline, where clear blue waters stretch across the horizon, Marsa Matrouh Governorate hides a long history that is firmly rooted in the age of time, but the people of Egypt refuse to dig up its prosperous past to add a new and glorious page to Egypt's history, and for historians to write a history that was not written before. Egypt Travel Packages offer the chance to explore the hidden treasures of this ancient region.
The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced the discovery of archaeological discoveries in the Umm al-Rakham area, about 20 kilometers west of Marsa Matrouh, where tombs, a complete bathhouse, statues and artifacts confirm the importance of the city as a center for foreign trade in the Mediterranean basin throughout historical times. Egypt Shore Excursions to this region are a great way to explore its deep history.
These discoveries have proven that Marsa Matrouh has a longer and larger history than we thought, as the dust of time has lifted and the ruins speak for themselves and reveal their secrets across different historical times. Egypt Day Tours to Marsa Matrouh offer a closer look at these fascinating sites.
The archaeological areas of the North Coast in general and Matrouh in particular are characterized as a set of undiscovered archaeological hills, some of which have been excavated and the majority have not yet been excavated, and there are no high buildings, as archaeological buildings in Matrouh range in height from 60 cm to a meter at most.
Umm al-Rakham in the march of history
He added that the “Umm al-Rakham” area is one of the most important archaeological areas in Matrouh, as it was the settlement or residential city during the Pharaonic, Greek and Roman eras, and included the temple and fortress of King Ramses II, which was discovered by archaeological pioneer Labib Habashi in 1942.
He found the statue of the military ruler Nab-Ra, which is currently on display in Luxor Temple, and some other paintings, in addition to various pottery vessels, stressing that ancient Umm al-Rakhm, which was called “Abis,” was an integrated city that included a temple, as well as residences, factories and tombs, and to this day there are archaeological ruins of the temple and fortress.
Excavation seasons
He stressed that the archaeological excavations in Umm al-Rakhm are the result of painstaking efforts made by the Egyptian archaeological mission during several successive seasons of excavation, where work was done first in the vicinity of the residential city, where some coins and artifacts were found, as well as a Roman bath, and next to it, three triangles were found, one of which is a marble statue of a headless man wearing the Roman uniform (toga), the second is a bust of an unknown woman, and the third is a ram, dating back to the first century AD.
Golden tongues and tear bottles
During the last two years, excavations have been carried out in the tombs area, where two large tombs with unmummified burials dating back to the Roman era were excavated, where some golden tongues were found inside the skeletons, along with some other artifacts such as vessels or bottles of tears (used during the Roman era as part of funeral rituals.
Roman bathhouse
The Roman bath, some elements of which have been uncovered, is one of the most important and distinctive recent discoveries of the Egyptian mission in the Umm al-Rakhm area, where a group of basins, water channels, and bathing rooms equipped with lounges and seating areas have been discovered, and the rest of its features will continue to be excavated during the coming seasons.
The importance of discoveries
The governorate enjoys great tourism potential and attracts large numbers of vacationers, stressing that the archaeological excavations continued from October 2023 to March 2024, and reports on the archaeological discoveries were prepared and then announced on the official website of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, thanking the archaeologists and workers who participated in these excavations, all of whom are citizens of Matrouh Governorate.
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