Archaeologists in Egypt have uncovered the remains of a 4,500-year-old valley temple belonging to a sprawling solar complex built by Pharaoh Nyuserra, ruler of the 5th Dynasty. Announced earlier this month by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the find offers a rare glimpse into the architecture and ritual life of a period defined by the ascendency of the cult of the sun god Ra.
Archaeologists from the University of Turin collaborated with the University of Naples L’Orientale on the excavation of the temple complex at Abu Ghurab, a site located southwest of Cairo, near the Nile. Ancient Egyptian sun temples were typically divided into two connected sections: an upper temple, positioned on higher ground and used for core ritual activities, and a valley temple, located closer to the river. The two were linked by a causeway that guided visitors from the water’s edge up to the sacred precinct. While the upper temple at Abu Ghurab had been excavated several years ago, the valley temple only became accessible recently, with systematic work beginning in 2024.
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Nyuserra’s complex—recognized as the earliest temple dedicated explicitly to the sun god Ra—was first identified in the late 19th century by the German archaeologist Ludwig Borchardt. Its associated valley temple, however, remained unknown for more than a century, sunk beneath a high water table. Only after shifts in the Nile’s course and the construction of the Aswan Dam, which lowered the groundwater level, did excavation become feasible.
Archaeological investigation in 2024 and 2025, led by Massimiliano Nuzzolo of the University of Turin and Rosanna Pirelli of the University of Naples, focused on the entrance to the sanctuary. Their findings document one of the few known valley temples associated with an Old Kingdom solar complex, including a monumental structure spanning more than 10,800 square feet—roughly half the size of the entire sanctuary and standing over 18 feet tall.
Built from fine materials including granite, white limestone, and red quartzite, the structure bears inscribed blocks naming Nyuserra and referencing religious celebrations—among them festivals dedicated to Sokar, a falcon-headed god associated with Memphis, and the fertility god Min, as well as processions honoring Ra himself. The placement of these blocks near the entrance implies that the temple’s ritual calendar was displayed on its facade, making it one of the earliest known instances of a public religious schedule.
Archaeological evidence suggests the sanctum was in use for about a century before its abandonment, and later reoccupied by local communities for more than 300 years.
“The crucial importance of this discovery,” Nuzzolo said in a statement, “lies in the fact that this temple is one of only two examples of ’valley temples’ of solar complexes known to exist in ancient Egypt and thus provides us with new insight into the architectural achievements of the age of the great pyramids. Moreover, in the Memphite area where the temple is located, it is not uncommon to come across structures used as temples and then reused as settlements, but never has an example been found that is so well preserved and especially used for so long.”
