The Antiquities Ministry requested that drilling next to Alexandria’s Greco-Roman museum be stopped. Construction is taking place on a governorate building project next to the museum.
The request came after the discovery of antiquities like pottery and stones which could reveal an area of archaeological value under the construction site.
The ministry said in a statement that excavations should be done on the site according to the antiquities law.
Antiquities Minister Mohamed Ibrahim Ali said archaeologists noticed the antiquities on the site and informed the archaeological monitoring department, which formed a committee to examine the area.
In its report, the committee said that the broken pottery and other objects were found among the rubble that resulted from the drilling. An official from the monitoring department then filed a request to stop the drilling, and the Alexandria minister was notified of the steps that had been taken.
Mohamed Mostafa, director of Alexandria’s monument department, said the construction site is located on a street that lies south of the old royal district in Alexandria where the most important buildings of the Greco-Roman period were located. He said that construction should not be done in this area until archaeological excavations have taken place.
Mostafa said that ancient maps and documents indicate that two temples may be present under the construction site.
