Egyptian-German Team Discovers New Ptolemaic Temple Gate in Sohag

An Egyptian-German archaeological mission uncovered a gate from a Ptolemaic temple during excavations at the western side of the Great Atrebes Temple in Sohag Governorate.

The Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Dr. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, highlighted that the revealed facade of the gate measures 51 meters in width, divided into two towers, each 24 meters wide, with a central entrance between them. He noted that the angle of the towers suggests the original height of the gate may have been 18 meters, similar to the dimensions of the Luxor Temple gate in Luxor Governorate.

Through studying cartouches found at the entrance and on one of the inner walls, it was determined that the gate dates back to the reign of King Ptolemy VIII, who is likely the founder of the temple.

Dr. Markus Müller, the German director of the excavation, also reported the discovery of a previously unknown room with a staircase, accessible through a small entrance in the external facade of the gate. The four steps of the staircase suggest that it led to an upper floor, which was destroyed in 752 AD.

The joint Egyptian-German mission has been working in the Atrebes area for over a decade, resulting in the full discovery of the Great Atrebes Temple and the excavation of more than 30,000 ostraca containing Demotic, Coptic, and Hieratic texts, along with numerous other archaeological finds. Dr. Khaled confirmed that the mission will continue its work to uncover the rest of the temple in future excavation seasons.