The Egyptian archaeological mission working at Tell El-Koa in Wadi Tumilat, Ismailia Governorate, has uncovered a group of tombs, a residential area, ovens, and silos dating back to the Second Intermediate Period.

Mr. Sherif Fathy, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, emphasized the importance of this discovery, noting that it provides a clearer picture of settlement patterns in the eastern Delta during this period. The site represents an integrated community that included residential areas, storage facilities, production installations, and burial grounds. He also praised the efforts of Egyptian and foreign archaeological missions in uncovering more secrets of ancient Egyptian civilization.

Dr. Hisham El-Leithy, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, stated that the discovery highlights the significance of Tell El-Koa as one of the principal sites associated with the Wadi Tumilat corridor, which served as one of the most important communication routes between the eastern Delta and Egypt’s eastern borders. The findings also contribute to understanding the transition from the Second Intermediate Period to the early New Kingdom through the study of population continuity, trade activity, and social changes.

Mohamed Abdel-Badie, Head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector at the Supreme Council of Antiquities, explained that the mission uncovered ten mudbrick tombs of varying sizes and orientations. These included rectangular mastaba-like tombs as well as others featuring façades and architectural decorations. All of these tombs date to the Fifteenth Dynasty of the Second Intermediate Period.

The mission also discovered a residential area measuring approximately 30 × 60 meters, enclosed by a mudbrick wall about 1.5 meters thick. The complex contains organized architectural units consisting of halls and rooms of various sizes, in addition to a variety of ovens and storage silos located east of the residential compound.

Dr. Hisham Hussein, Head of the Central Administration for Lower Egypt Antiquities, stated that excavations yielded numerous artifacts, including scarabs, bronze tools, pottery vessels, alabaster kohl containers, and bottles bearing the distinctive Tell el-Yahudiya style characteristic of the Second Intermediate Period. Human skeletal remains were also discovered, and preliminary studies revealed a variety of burial positions and age groups. The individuals were estimated to have been between 25 and 40 years old. Large quantities of animal bones associated with daily consumption and funerary offerings were also found.

For the first time at the site, human burials were discovered outside the mudbrick tombs, some in a crouched position. This unusual burial practice requires further study. Analysis of the pottery assemblage also indicates intensive daily use, with tableware being the most common type, followed by cooking vessels.

Mustafa Hassan, Director of the Ismailia Antiquities Area and Director of the mission, stated that archaeological evidence indicates continued occupation of the site until the middle of the Eighteenth Dynasty, reflecting settlement continuity during the transition from Hyksos rule to the New Kingdom. Some pottery vessels bear production marks and seals indicating extensive trade networks, possibly suggesting that the site functioned as a distribution center or an important commercial contact point.

Tell El-Koa is located on the southern edge of the archaeological Wadi Tumilat in the New Qassasin district of Ismailia Governorate. It is considered one of the most important Second Intermediate Period sites in the eastern Delta. The archaeological mound covers approximately 55 feddans, and previous as well as current excavations have revealed numerous architectural structures and tombs dating to this significant period in ancient Egyptian history.