An Egyptian archaeological mission has uncovered a remarkable ancient settlement at Tel El-Koa in the Wadi Tumilat region of Ismailia Governorate, revealing tombs, residential buildings and production facilities dating to Egypt’s Second Intermediate Period.
The discovery offers new insights into daily life and settlement patterns in the eastern Nile Delta during one of the country’s most significant transitional periods.
Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy said the excavation paints a more complete picture of the site’s role as an integrated settlement, comprising residential quarters, storage facilities, production areas and burial grounds. He praised the efforts of Egyptian and international archaeological missions in uncovering further evidence of Egypt’s ancient civilisation.
Dr Hisham El-Leithy, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said the findings underscore the strategic importance of Tel El-Koa, located along the Wadi Tumilat corridor, one of the principal routes linking the eastern Delta with Egypt’s eastern frontier.
He noted that the discoveries will help archaeologists better understand the transition from the Second Intermediate Period to the early New Kingdom by providing valuable evidence of population continuity, trade activity and social change.
According to Mohamed Abdel Badie, Head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector at the Supreme Council of Antiquities, excavations uncovered ten mudbrick tombs of varying sizes and orientations. These include rectangular mastaba-style tombs as well as others featuring façades and architectural decoration, all dating to the 15th Dynasty.
Archaeologists also uncovered a residential complex measuring approximately 30 by 60 metres, enclosed by a mudbrick wall around 1.5 metres thick. The settlement contains a series of well-planned buildings with multiple halls and rooms, while ovens and storage installations were found to the east of the complex, indicating both domestic and industrial activity.
Dr Hisham Hussein, Head of the Central Department for Maritime and Surface Antiquities, said the excavation yielded a wide range of artefacts, including pottery vessels, bronze implements, alabaster containers and ceramics characteristic of the Second Intermediate Period.
The team also recovered human skeletons representing individuals aged between approximately 25 and 40 years, buried using a variety of funerary practices. Large quantities of animal bones were discovered alongside the burials, suggesting they were associated with both everyday consumption and funerary offerings.
One of the most significant discoveries was the identification, for the first time at the site, of human burials located outside formal mudbrick tombs. Some individuals had been interred in a crouched position, an unusual burial practice that researchers say requires further investigation.
Analysis of the pottery assemblage indicates intensive domestic occupation, with tableware accounting for the largest proportion of ceramic finds, followed by cooking vessels.
Mustafa Hassan, Director of the Ismailia Archaeological Area and head of the excavation mission, said archaeological evidence indicates that the settlement remained occupied until the middle of the 18th Dynasty, spanning the transition from Hyksos rule to the establishment of Egypt’s New Kingdom.
He added that several pottery vessels bear production marks and seals, suggesting the settlement participated in extensive trade networks and may have functioned as an important distribution centre or commercial hub.
Located on the southern edge of the Wadi Tumilat archaeological zone near New Qassasin in Ismailia Governorate, Tel El-Koa covers approximately 55 acres and is regarded as one of the most important Second Intermediate Period sites in Egypt’s eastern Delta. Previous and ongoing excavations have uncovered numerous architectural structures and tombs, continuing to enhance scholars’ understanding of this pivotal period in ancient Egyptian history.
