Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) announced that a new archaeological site dating some 4,000 years has been discovered northeast of the capital, Cairo. According to Antiquities chief Zahi Hawass, the site dates back to the Middle Kingdom and was unearthed near the Ein el Sokhna resort, some 120 kilometers northeast of Cairo.

The discovery was made by a joint Egyptian-French archaeological mission, Hawass said.

He added that 9 storehouses and a rectangular building containing an ancient chamber were discovered at the site.

The discovery came less than a week after Hawass returned an ancient Iraqi artifact to Baghdad in a ceremony at the Cairo museum.

Hawass said at the time that the action was part of an ongoing struggle to have antiquities returned to their home nations.

Egypt has continuously called on the international community to return all of its ancient artifacts to the country.

Experts believe that the Middle Kingdom was an era of prosperity in ancient Egypt, leaving numerous heritage that spread across Egypt, including the southern city of Luxor and Fayoum.