Ancient Egyptian valley temple excavated — and it's connected to a massive upper temple dedicated to the sun god, Ra

Archaeologists in Egypt have uncovered the remains of a 4,500-year-old valley temple. The structure is part of a sun temple that ancient Egyptians built in honor of the sun god Ra, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said in a translated statement.

The temple is located at Abu Ghurab, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) southwest of Cairo. The sun temple has two parts: an upper temple, which the archaeologists excavated several years ago, and the newly excavated valley temple, which the team started working on in 2024. The valley temple is positioned near the Nile River, and two temple parts are connected through a causeway.

The valley temple, along with the rest of the sun temple, is not an entirely new find. German Egyptologist Ludwig Borchardt excavated part of it in 1901, but the groundwater was higher at that time and he had to stop excavating, said Massimiliano Nuzzolo, an archaeologist with the Italian Archaeological Mission in Egypt who is co-directing the excavation team with archaeologist Rosanna Pirelli. Today the groundwater is lower and the team has managed to excavate half the valley temple since 2024.

The recent excavations have led to several discoveries, including the remains of a columned entrance portico, a public calendar of religious events carved into blocks, and dozens of decorated blocks with inscriptions that mention Pharaoh Niuserre (reign circa 2420 B.C. to 2389 B.C.), the ruler who had the temple built.

The upper temple was the main place of worship, but the valley temple made it easier for people to reach. The valley temple "was used as a landing stage for the boats approaching it from the Nile or, more likely, from one of its side channels," Nuzzolo told Live Science in an email. The "most convenient way to reach the upper temple was to enter the valley temple and go up on the hill where the upper temple was located through a ramp [the causeway]."

Public calendar

The valley temple had a calendar of religious events inscribed on decorated blocks. Borchardt found part of the calendar in 1901, and more of it was uncovered by the modern-day archaeological team. The events mentioned include the feasts of Sokar, a falcon-headed god associated with the Egyptian city of Memphis — a capital during the Old Kingdom. The blocks also mention the festival of Min, a god associated with fertility, and the procession of Ra.

"What is really important here is however the location of these blocks," Nuzzolo said. "They were all found in the area of the entrance portico and this seems to indicate that the façade of the temple, on the outside, was inscribed with this long calendar of feasts, possibly one of the first [examples] of 'public calendars' known so far to us."

Stars and games

The team also found a staircase that went up to the roof of the valley temple, the ministry statement said. Ancient Egyptians likely accessed the roof to observe the sky.

"The roof of the valley temple was probably used for astronomical observations but not for the celebration of the festivals," Nuzzolo said.

After about a century of use, the valley temple was turned into a residential area, the researchers found. They discovered two wooden pieces dating to this time that were used to play a board game known as "senet." Many senet pieces have been found at other sites in Egypt, including in the tomb of King Tutankhamun, but the exact rules of the game are unclear.

"The sanctuary thus became a dwelling and one of the favourite local [games] was probably playing senet," Nuzzolo said.

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