How 5,000-Year-Old Boats Were Buried in the Desert Miles from the Nile
The Great Pyramid of Giza and the tomb of King Tutikampa are among Egypt’s most famous archaeological sites. However, many more secrets lie buried beneath the vast Sahara desert. In 2020, archaeologists discovered the lost city of Athena, considered the most important discovery since the tomb of Tutikampa in 1922. Located 480 kilometers south of Cairo, near the Valley of the Kings, this 3,000-year-old city offers unparalleled insights into Egyptian life.
Archaeologists found rooms with everyday tools, including a bakery, a residential district, and an administrative cemetery, dating from Egypt’s peak period. The Egyptians were also pioneers in metallurgy. In 1911, scientists unearthed iron beads from El-Gerzeh, crafted more than 5,000 years ago from meteorite material, making them the oldest known iron artifacts
How 5,000-Year-Old Boats Were Buried in the Desert Miles from the Nile
One would expect to find a vessel closer to the coast. However, this is the question archaeologists have been asking for decades.
In 1988, a storm struck one of the most important archaeological sites in eastern Egypt, revealing a wooden structure emerging from the earth. The structure, excavated by termites, baffled scientists, who were determined to unravel its mystery.
In 2000, an American team began excavating the site near Abydos. They soon discovered a 21-meter-long boat, but it wasn’t alone. In total, there were 14 boats, lying side by side. However, due to their fragile condition, it was impossible to fully excavate them. Fortunately, the preserved wood allowed for sample analysis, which revealed the boats to be approximately 5,000 years old—the oldest fleet in human history. Their construction predates the pyramids at Giza by half a mile.
Each boat was housed in a vault matching its dimepsiops, a room about a third the size of a tepis courtyard. The adobe walls of these chambers featured more than 120 beautifully preserved boat drawings, carefully engraved on whitewashed surfaces.
The existence of these mysterious chambers had been known for over a century. Between 1901 and 1902, British archaeologist Arthur Weigall stumbled upon a peculiar structure west of the Nile. His team briefly glimpsed the interior walls, but the collapse of a section of the roof forced them to abandon the exploration. Despite this setback, the location remained on the maps.