In the sun-scorched sands of Egypt's Bahariya Oasis, archaeologists have brought to light three tombs spanning different chapters of ancient Egyptian history, alongside a rich haul of funerary and votive artifacts. The discovery, made at the Sheikh Subi necropolis, adds fresh detail to the story of a community that once served as home to the oasis's political and religious elite.Image credit : Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
The Discovery
The new excavation campaign at Sheikh Subi is being led by Sabri Farag, Director General of Antiquities for the Bahariya Oasis, with the find welcomed publicly by Egypt's Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Sherif Fathy. According to the minister, the discovery adds valuable new evidence to the history of the oasis and helps illuminate aspects of ancient Egyptian civilisation more broadly.
Hisham El-Leithy, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, confirmed that archaeologists identified three distinct tombs at the site, each differing in structure and date. The first is a collective tomb carved into sandstone, believed to have belonged to a family of five. The second, undecorated and dated to the Roman period, features a staircase leading down into the structure. The third is another likely Roman-era collective tomb, built in a shaft-like configuration.
What Archaeologists Found
Mohamed Abdel-Badi, head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector at the Supreme Council of Antiquities, provided detailed insight into the first tomb's construction. It consists of a square shaft roughly three metres deep, leading to two burial chambers at its base. The smaller, rectangular chamber on the western side held a limestone sarcophagus containing a mummy wrapped in linen bandages, placed within a niche carved into the chamber floor — an arrangement consistent with burial customs typical of Late Period tombs at the site. The larger chamber, on the northern side, held four further limestone coffins, each containing a linen-wrapped mummy, bringing the total number of burials in the tomb to five and supporting the interpretation that it served a single family unit.
The second tomb, reached via a small shaft and a three-step staircase, appears never to have been used for burials, based on the archaeological evidence recovered so far. Its lack of decoration and architectural style point to a Roman-period date.
The third tomb proved more architecturally complex, consisting of a rectangular shaft leading to a small, uncovered chamber that archaeologists believe may have been used to temporarily house a mummy during funerary rites before its transfer to a final resting place. This chamber connects to two further rooms: one on the southern side containing fragments of a terracotta sarcophagus, and another on the eastern side holding a limestone sarcophagus with portions of its lid missing. Four small entrances arranged around the shaft's eastern, northern and western sides were also identified, with excavation of the eastern entrance revealing a lateral burial containing a broken cylindrical terracotta sarcophagus, its lid bearing a finely detailed depiction of a human face.
Alongside the tombs, Qutb Fawzi, head of the Central Administration of Antiquities in Cairo and Giza, announced the recovery of a substantial collection of artifacts, including ceramic vessels, small bottles and plates of varying shapes and sizes, together with votive tablets in limestone and sandstone and numerous small terracotta statuettes, some depicting maternal figures and others rendered in stylised animal forms.
Historical Background
The Sheikh Subi site forms part of the necropolis used by the rulers and priests of the Bahariya Oasis during Egypt's Late Period, excavated within an archaeological mound considered one of the oasis's most significant locations precisely because of its association with the local political and religious elite. The wider archaeological complex also includes the Bawiti Temple, constructed during the 26th Dynasty by Djed Khonsu-Iuf-Ankh, governor of the Bahariya Oasis, in honour of King Ahmose II.
The presence of tombs spanning both the Late Period and the later Roman era at a single necropolis reflects the oasis's long history of continued use as a burial ground across many centuries of Egyptian civilisation.
Scientific Analysis
The differing architectural styles and burial arrangements across the three tombs are already helping researchers refine their understanding of funerary customs at the site over time. The placement of the sarcophagus within a floor niche in the first tomb's western chamber, for instance, matches a pattern already associated with Late Period burial practice at Sheikh Subi, while the undecorated staircase tomb and shaft-style third tomb reflect distinctly Roman-period construction approaches.
The collection of votive statuettes and tablets recovered alongside the tombs is expected to further inform understanding of ritual practice at the site, offering researchers physical evidence of the religious customs practised by those who used the necropolis across its long history.
Why This Discovery Matters
Taken together, the three tombs and their associated artifacts offer a richer, more detailed picture of the ritual and funerary practices that characterised the Bahariya Oasis across multiple historical periods, from the Late Period through to Roman times. The scale of the family tomb, with its five individual burials, also provides valuable evidence for how kinship groups organised their funerary arrangements within a single structure.
The discovery further reinforces the significance of Sheikh Subi as a necropolis associated with the oasis's ruling and priestly classes, adding to a body of evidence that helps trace the successive generations who inhabited and governed the region.
What's Next?
Sabri Farag has confirmed that archaeological work at the site will continue in the coming seasons, citing both the site's importance and the quantity of artifacts believed to remain buried underground. Archaeologists hope future excavations will uncover additional tombs, helping to identify further generations of the oasis's inhabitants and to reconstruct its history with greater precision.
Conclusion
The discovery of three tombs at Sheikh Subi, spanning centuries of Egyptian history from the Late Period to the Roman era, offers a valuable new window into how the Bahariya Oasis's elite lived, died and were remembered. With excavations set to continue in future seasons, this remote desert necropolis looks set to keep yielding new insights into one of ancient Egypt's lesser-known but historically significant regions.
FAQ
Q: Where were the tombs discovered? A: At the Sheikh Subi site in the Bahariya Oasis, within the Egyptian desert, as part of an excavation led by Sabri Farag, Director General of Antiquities for the Bahariya Oasis.
Q: How many tombs were found, and how old are they? A: Three tombs were identified — one carved into sandstone likely dating to the Late Period, and two believed to date from the Roman period.
Q: How many burials were found in the family tomb? A: Five burials were recovered: one mummy in a limestone sarcophagus in the western chamber, and four further linen-wrapped mummies in limestone coffins in the northern chamber.
Q: What artifacts were found alongside the tombs? A: Ceramic vessels, bottles, plates, limestone and sandstone votive tablets, and terracotta statuettes depicting maternal figures and stylised animals.
Q: Will excavations at the site continue? A: Yes — archaeologists plan to continue work in coming seasons, hoping to uncover further tombs and generations of the oasis's inhabitants.
