CAIRO — The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced Jan. 10 the discovery of the remains of a building that is believed to have been used as the headquarters of the leader of the Egyptian mining expeditions in the Sinai Peninsula during the Middle Kingdom era, which dates back to 2055-1650 B.C., and includes the era of the 11th and 12th dynasties.

Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Mustafa al-Waziri said in a Jan. 10 statement that the Egyptian mission is the first to carry out excavations in the Wadi al-Nasab area in southern Sinai. He explained that the newly unearthed site is located in a distinct area in the center of Wadi al-Nasab and in the middle of the copper and turquoise mining areas.

According to Waziri, the site is a square-shaped building consisting of huge blocks of sandstone, while the floor consists of stone tiles extending over an area of ​​approximately 225 square meters (2,422 square feet).

The head of the Egyptian archaeological mission that made the latest archaeological discovery, Mustafa Nour el-Din, told Al-Monitor over the phone, “The discovered building was used as headquarters for the leader of mining expeditions during the Middle Kingdom, and it reveals the history of mining in ancient Egypt.”