Dr. Ayman Ashmawi, the head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector at the Ministry of Antiquities, stated that the Ministry of Antiquities began the archaeological and scientific excavation of a plot of land owned by a citizen near the temple of the god Ptah in the Mit Rahina area. Yesterday, the land owner was arrested by the Tourism and Antiquities Police for carrying out illegal excavations. The authorities discovered blocks immersed in groundwater, and Dr. Ayman Ashmawi stated that the preliminary inspection of these blocks by the antiquities inspectors of the Mit Rahina area confirmed that these are ancient blocks of pink granite and limestone bearing hieroglyphic inscriptions.

          Excavations carried out by an archaeological mission from the Ministry of Antiquities revealed nineteen such blocks. These depict Ptah, the god of the city of Memphis, and bear cartouches of King Ramses II and other inscriptions depicting the king performing the Sed Festival. It is believed that these blocks represent parts of the great temple of Ptah in Memphis.

          Dr. Ashmawy stated that the importance of this discovery lies in the fact that the land in which the blocks were found is an extension of the adjacent temple of Ptah, adding that the inscriptions engraved on the blocks indicate the marvel and splendor of the temple’s architecture. He stressed that the Ministry of Antiquities will complete excavation work in the area to reveal the remainder of the blocks that make up the rest of the temple and recover them from the groundwater. He also stated that the discovered blocks were transferred to the open‑air museum in Mit Rahina and the museum garden for cleaning and restoration work, after which a decision will be made on an appropriate venue to display these recent discoveries, either in the Mit Rahina Museum's park or in one of the new museums that are due to be inaugurated soon.