The Ministry of Antiquities announced on Tuesday the discovery of the main port in Aswan which was used to transfer giant rocks and bricks used in building temples across the Nile. The discovery was unearthed by an Egyptian mission working in Gebel El-Silsila’s archaeological area.
The announcement came a day after the Minister of Antiquities, Kahled Al-Anany, stated the completion of lowering the underground water in Kom Ombo.
Moustafa Waziri, the secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, stated in a press release that the unearthed 100-metre long port is located on the eastern side of the Nile shore, only 200 metres away from the biggest quarry in Gebel El-Silsila.
Waziri added that the port was covered with tons of Nile mud and grass, explaining that once the mission removed the covering layers, carvings and inscriptions were revealed on the spots where the ships were tied.
The quarries of Gebel El-Silsila were the main source of all sorts of rocks that were used in building the most famous temples including Al-Karnak, and the Temple of Horus at Edfu. The quarries are being used from the early 18th Dynasty, up until the modern civilisation.
