According to the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, archaeologists discovered an observatory dating back to the 6th century BC while working in northern Egypt’s Kafr el-Sheikh province.
The ministry said in a statement, “The Egyptian archaeological mission of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, which was working at the Bhuto temple in the Tell-el-Farein region of Kafr el-Sheikh province, discovered the first and largest observatory of the 6th century BC.”
The observatory is said to have been built of ash and was used for astronomical observations, including tracking the Sun’s and stars’ movements. As Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt, emphasized, the find confirms the skills and mastery of the ancient Egyptians in determining astronomy and the solar calendar.
Ayman Ashmawi, the head of Egypt’s antiquities department, said the observatory’s area is about 850 square meters. According to the ministry’s statement, the archaeological mission also found a stone sundial, about ten rooms, one of which is a tower, and a large hall during excavations in the observatory territory.
