Egypt uncovers Byzantine city in Dakhla Oasis

Egyptian authorities announced the discovery of a remarkably well-preserved Byzantine-era residential city in the Dakhla Oasis, part of a series of archaeological finds intended to boost the country’s tourism sector. The announcement, made on Saturday, July 4, 2026, also included details of 18 newly uncovered tombs at the Marina el-Alamein site on the Mediterranean coast.

The mud-brick settlement, unearthed at the Ain El-Sabil site in Egypt’s Western Desert, offers an unprecedented look at daily life in a remote desert community during the fourth century. Officials described the site as a complete, planned city featuring a grid of north-south and east-west streets that created public squares. A central basilica church, dated to the mid-fourth century, overlooked the main thoroughfares.

The city was designed to be self-sufficient and secure, with remains of two watchtowers and a heavily fortified structure found at its outskirts. Excavators uncovered residential houses with vaulted ceilings and reception halls, along with functional spaces like bread ovens, kitchens, and stone grain-grinding tools. Two specific residences were highlighted: the house of Tisous, identified as a...