Egyptologists unearth remains of ancient sun temple believed to have been lost

Experts suspect the structure is one of four lost temples built in ancient Egypt's Old Kingdom

The sun temple of King Nyuserre in Giza's Abu Ghorab necropolis. The temple was unearthed in the early 1900s by a German archaeological mission. Photo: Supreme Council of Antiquities

A joint Italian-Polish archaeological mission working in the Abu Gorab necropolis, south of Egypt’s Giza pyramids, found the remains of a building believed to be one of four lost sun temples built in the Old Kingdom, the country’s antiquities ministry said.

The unearthed structure is thought by Egyptologists to have been built during the reign of the fifth dynasty of ancient Egypt which ruled from 2465-2323 BCE, making it one of the oldest buildings in the area.

If the structure is confirmed as one of the four lost temples, as preliminary investigations suggest, it would make it one of the oldest structures in the relic-rich area.

Archaeologists and workers at the site of a complex of tombs, including one of a Pharaonic princess, in the Abusir region south of Cairo. Reuters

An off-road vehicle passes near the 5th Dynasty Abusir Pyramids (2464-2323BC) of Dahshur, 30 kilometres south of Cairo. EPA

Pyramid and Temple of Nyuserre Ini, Necropolis of Abusir, near Saqqara, Egypt. Getty Images

Alabaster basins of the Great Slaughterhouses, Sun Temple of Abu Gorab, Necropolis of Abusir (Unesco World Heritage List, 1979), Egypt. Getty Images

The Pyramid of Neferirkare Kakai and Nyuserre's Sun Temple, Necropolis of Abusir. Getty Images

Czech archaeologists continue to excavate the recently discovered tomb of the ancient Egyptian Princess Shert Nebti, daughter of King Men Salbo, dating from the 5th dynasty around 2,500 BC, with four other tombs of high-ranking officials near Saqarra pyramid. Reuters

According to the antiquities ministry’s statement, the remains of the lost temple were found buried beneath a newer temple built during the rule of King Nyuserre.

A prolific builder who reigned as the sixth pharaoh of the fifth dynasty, Nyuserre also built six pyramids during his reign: three for himself and his queens and another three for his father, mother and brother, all in Giza’s Abusir necropolis.

Furthermore, he constructed the largest surviving temple to the sun god Ra built during the Old Kingdom, as well as the Nekhenre, another Sun temple built to honour Userkaf, another fifth dynasty pharaoh, and the valley temple of Menkaure in Giza.

He is credited with reviving activity in the Giza area after his fifth dynasty predecessors had halted most activities in the area since the end of the fourth dynasty.

One of the most well-preserved Old Kingdom relics in the area, the newer temple was discovered in the early 1900s by a German mission working in Giza and covers a surface area of 7,600 square metres.

A pottery fragment unearthed in Egypt's Abu Ghorab necropolis by an Italian-Polish archaeological mission in 2022. Photo: Supreme Council of Antiquities

The remains of the recently-unearthed older temple were only accessible through a limestone doorway that leads into a long shaft paved with mud brick, which contains slabs of quartz rock embedded in the floor beneath the surface temples.

The remains of a sun temple built in Egypt's Old Kingdom. The temple was believed to have been lost and only referred to in ancient documents about the area. Photo: Supreme Council of Antiquities

Dr Ayman Ashmawy, a prominent archaeologist who heads the Egyptology department of the country’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, said in a statement that all signs point to Nyuserre having removed parts of the lost temple while constructing his prominent sun temple.

He said that pottery fragments found between the foundation of the newer temple and the remains of the buried temple have been interpreted as part of a foundation ritual where builders laid down ceramics before they began their work as a way to bless the site.

The ceramics comprised various kinds of vessels including ones for drinking beer, serving food and others that had red-painted edges, the significance of which was unknown, said the ministry’s statement.

A number of clay pots excavated in Giza's Abu Ghorab necropolis by an Italian-Polish mission. The pots were found buried beneath a sun temple dedicated to the 5th dynasty pharaoh King Nyuserre. Photo: Supreme Council of Antiquities

The mission also found a number of fragments from clay seals bearing the name of King Shepseskare, an important find, according to Rosanna Birley, who heads the Italian part of the mission. Little is known about this fifth dynasty ruler and the finding could uncover more about his life and reign.

More excavations will be carried out at the site in the coming months, said the antiquities ministry, as the mission hopes to unearth the lost temple in its entirety.