Ancient Administrative Centre Unearthed in Kom Ombo

This recently unearthed building was probably not all that exciting four thousand years ago, when farmers and merchants walked the streets of Kom Ombo in Upper Egypt. They may have made jokes about it, much like we do the Mogamaa Building in Tahrir - about the inconveniences of bureaucracy, and the tediousness that was often necessitated by law and order.

But in modern times, this administrative building is a source of excitement for the Austrian-Egyptian archaeological mission that found it - with its well-preserved rooms, cellars and staircases, it showed us clearly how important this town was throughout Upper Egypt.

Dated to 2150 BC, the centre contains over 20 conical silos, which were used for grain storage. The silos were extremely well preserved, standing at least two metres tall. It is likely that the administrative centre was used for grain distribution, where citizens would come to collect their share.

Located about 45 km north of Aswan, on the east of the Nile, Kom Ombo is a protected area that is famously known as the home of the Ptolemaic Temple of Kom Ombo.