Egypt has revealed a statue of Buddha from the Roman era during excavation work carried out by the Polish-American archaeological mission in the temple of the city of “Berniki” in the Red Sea Governorate, in the south of the country.
A statement from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities stated that the joint mission “succeeded in uncovering a statue of Buddha from the Roman era, during its excavation work in the temple of the ancient city of Bereniki.”
The height of the statue is 71 centimeters, and it represents Buddha, according to the statement, standing, “holding part of his clothes in his left hand, and there is a halo around his head with the rays of the sun depicted on it, which indicates his radiant mind, and there is a lotus flower next to him.”
The statement quoted the Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Mostafa Waziri, as saying that the discovery has “many important indications of the existence of commercial links between Egypt and India during the Roman era.”
Berenice, according to Waziri, was one of the most important Red Sea ports operating in Egypt during the Roman era, as ships arrived from India loaded with products such as pepper, semi-precious stones, textiles, and ivory.
Over the past few years, Egypt has uncovered several archaeological “treasures” in various parts of the country, especially the “Saqqara” area west of the capital, Cairo, where more than 150 archaeological sarcophagi dating back more than 2,500 years have been discovered.
In addition to the announced archaeological discoveries, the Egyptian authorities hope to open the “Grand Egyptian Museum” near the Giza pyramids this year.
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