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Ancient Egyptian boats discovered

Archaeologists have found the remains of boats used by ancient Egyptians for trading trips, according to Egypt's culture minister.
/ Source: Reuters

Archaeologists have found the remains of boats used by ancient Egyptians for trading trips, according to Egypt's culture minister.

The boats were discovered in caves in a pharaonic harbor on Egypt’s Red Sea coast, about 300 miles (475 kilometers) southeast of Cairo, Culture Minister Farouk Hosni said in comments carried by Egypt’s state MENA news agency on Wednesday.

They were used to transport goods to and from the Land of Punt, he said. The Land of Punt, mentioned in ancient Egyptian writings, is thought by most archaeologists to be the coast of the Horn of Africa.

“Excavations discovered a group of sail and mast ropes, wooden ship beams and thin planks made of cedars, imported from northern Syria,” MENA quoted Zahi Hawass, chairman of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, as saying.

Hawass said a team from Boston University in the United States working with an Italian team had made the discovery.