Coptic priests pray during Egypt s Coptic Christmas eve mass in a church of the Samaan el-Kharaz Monastery in the Mokattam Mountain area of Cairo, Egypt January 6, 2017. | REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
Archaeologists have uncovered an ancient Christian monastery complete with three churches, monks cells and biblical graffiti in Egypt’s Western Desert, revealing monastic life in the region as far back as the fifth century A.D.
French-Norwegian archeologists made the discovery at the Tal Ganoub Qasr al-Agouz site in the Western Desert s Bahariya Oasis, according to a statement from the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. During its third season, the Norwegian-French archaeological mission working in Qasr Al-Agouz in Bahariya Oasis revealed a number of buildings made of basalt stone, carved into rocks and buildings constructed of mud bricks, the statement explains.