Last week the Hode Zuleikha area at Al-Badrashein, 40 km south of Giza, was buzzing with police soldiers archaeologists. Seven of the area's residents were arrested for illegally excavating beneath the house of one of them, where they found the remains of an ancient Egyptian temple. According to police reports, the find was made two weeks ago and the owner of the house reported the incident. Antiquities Minister Mamdouh Eldamaty said that huge limestone blocks, engraved with hieroglyphic texts from the reign of the New Kingdom King Thutmose III were uncovered together with seven stony reliefs and two red granite columns. A 2.5 m tall armless colossus of a seated person in red granite was also found among the items. When the Tourism and Antiquities Police found out about the illegal excavation, according to Major General Momtaz Fathi, an aide to the interior minister and a unit of soldiers went on and arrested the seven suspects, two of whom are Palestinians. The police also found diving costumes, oxygen cylinders and diving masks with the detainees. Eldamaty asserted that archaeological authorities have confirmed that the blocks are genuine ancient Egyptian blocks from the Thutmose III temple. He describes the discovery as very important and could lead to more information about Thutmose III's reign. The items uncovered have been brought to the Saqqara site for restoration and further study, while the area of Hode Zuleikha has now been declared an archeological site under the control of the Ministry of Antiquities. Further work will be carried out.
