Archaeologists discover an ancient "huge" building in Egypt: NPR

Archaeologists have discovered what they say is a former "huge" building in what was once the Egyptian capital, the country's Ministry of Antiquities said on Tuesday.

The city of Memphis was founded around 2925 BC. by Menes, a king who would have united the prehistoric kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt. The city was originally called the white walls, a term that could come from the whitewashed brick palace of the king.

The new ruins are located about an hour south of Cairo, near an open-air museum in the city of Mit Rahina, the ministry said.

Archaeologists have also discovered a connected structure containing a Roman bath and a richly carved basin, probably used during religious ceremonies, according to the Associated Press.

Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt, said the area was likely part of a residential community in Memphis, reports the AP.

Memphis and its necropolis became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. The grounds contain remnants of temples, palaces, pyramids, residential neighborhoods and thousands of tombs carved into the rock.

Last week, archaeologists discovered a sandstone sphinx during a temple excavation near the city of Aswan in southern Egypt. The statue was found near a site where two reliefs of King Ptolemy V were found two months ago, according to the American University of Cairo.

Salima Ikram, a professor of Egyptology, said the sphinx and the slabs date back to the Ptolemaic period. They "show us that the outer area of ​​the temple was a place of worship and active ritual" and that it "played an important role in the spiritual, political and economic life of the people".

New archaeological discoveries in Egypt could boost tourism at a time when the industry has been in decline.

Monday, the Minister of Tourism, Rania Al Mashat ad a partnership between the ministry and Zahi Hawass, former Minister of Antiquities and archaeologist known as Egypt Indiana Jones, as part of a tourism promotion campaign in the country.