Antiquities authorities in Egypt say archaeologists have unearthed the ruins of a temple for the ancient Greek god Zeus in the Sinai Peninsula.
The Tourism and Antiquities Ministry said in a statement that the temple ruins were found in the Tell el-Farma archaeological site in the northwestern corner of Sinai. Tell el-Farma, also known by its ancient name Pelusium, dates back to the late Pharaonic period and was also used during Greco-Roman and Byzantine times.
There are also remains dating to the Christian and early Islamic periods. The temple ruins are the latest in a series of ancient discoveries Egypt has touted in the past couple of years in the hope of attracting more tourists.
Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities confirmed that archaeologists were able to excavate the temple ruins through to its entrance gate, where two huge fallen granite columns could be seen. The gate was likely destroyed in a powerful earthquake in ancient times, Waziri said.