Artifacts unearthed during Suez Canal excavation showcased in exhibition

A 30-day-exhibition, which showcased antiquities unearthed during Egypt’s new Suez Canal excavation, opened Tuesday at the Ismailia Museum, the state-run Ahram Online reported Thursday.

The exhibition included 16 artifacts unearthed during both the digging of the Suez Canal in 1859 by a French archaeological mission and the recent excavation work carried out by an Egyptian team, Minister of Antiquities Mamdouh El-Damaty said.

On Thursday, Egyptians celebrated the inauguration of the new Suez Canal, considered by President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi as historic feat needed to revive the country’s ailing economy after years of unrest.

Among the most important objects on display at the exhibition are remains of a sandstone obelisk - known to have been given by King Ramses II to his father king Seti I - was unearthed at the original digging of the Suez Canal at Al-Qantara East.

Governor of Ismailia, a number of government officials and a representative from the army inaugurated the opening of the exhibition.

The museum, located in the northeast of the country, has over 4,000 artifacts from pharaonic through the Greek and Roman era.