The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has announced a groundbreaking discovery at Tell El-Fara’in (Tell Nebesha) in Sharqiya Governorate.
A British archaeological team from the University of Manchester uncovered the ruins of the ancient city of “Emet,” dating back to the early or mid-4th century BC.
Among the findings, multi-story residential buildings (“tower houses”), known for their thick foundations, storage facilities for grain and animal shelters, structures once part of a ceremonial processional route, a limestone temple floor, and remains of mudbrick columns likely covered in plaster.
A bronze sistrum (musical instrument) adorned with Hathor heads, a finely crafted green faience ushabti figurine from the 26th Dynasty, and a rare stela depicting Horus standing on crocodiles, holding serpents, topped by the god Bes were also uncovered.
In the temple area, archaeologists also found signs that the processional road connecting Late Period monuments to the Temple of Wadjet was decommissioned by the mid-Ptolemaic era. The temple was rebuilt during the reigns of Ramesses II and Ahmose II, and later repurposed as a quarry during the Achaemenid period.
Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy praised the discovery as a major step toward enriching Egypt’s cultural heritage and deepening understanding of daily life and religious practices during the Late and early Ptolemaic periods.
According to Dr. Nicky Nielsen, the mission’s director, the city of Emet once stood as a key population center in Lower Egypt, especially during the New Kingdom and Late Period, and was home to a significant temple dedicated to the goddess Wadjet, whose ruins still dominate the western part of the site.
This discovery opens new doors for research into one of the Delta’s most important ancient cities.
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