Hurghada's Antiquities Museum Holds More Than 1,400 Pieces - Including a Quartzite Shrine From Karnak

Hurghada's Antiquities Museum holds more than 1,400 artefacts from a range of periods — from ancient Egypt through the late Pharaonic era and the Roman, Coptic and Islamic periods to modern times — displayed thematically, with pieces placed in cases matched to the period each belongs to, according to Youm7.

Among the objects the outlet singles out is the naos of "Sebty". A naos, according to the information panel displayed with the piece in the museum, appeared in ancient Egypt as the sacred part of the temple: a structure used to hold and protect the statue of the deity, also known as a cult chapel.

The piece was found at the Karnak temples in Luxor and dates to the New Kingdom — specifically the Eighteenth Dynasty, in the reign of Amenhotep III, the ninth king of that dynasty. It is carved from quartzite, which Youm7 describes as a deliberate choice of material for objects tied to deities and religious ritual.

The object shows a kneeling man named Sebty, the upper part of his body lost, holding a naos in his arms. Ancient Egyptians produced many forms of the naos, the report says, including what became known as naos statues, which often depicted the owner kneeling, standing or squatting, within a symbolism connected to protection and religious rites.

The report does not give the museum's opening hours or ticket prices.

For visitors who assume Egypt's antiquities mean a flight or a long drive to Luxor or Cairo, this is the argument for the museum in Hurghada: a piece from Karnak, from the reign of Amenhotep III, on display on this coast.