The city, which dates back to King Amenhotep III, who ruled Egypt between 1391 BC and 1353 BC, was once the largest administrative and industrial settlement in the ancient empire, lead archaeologist Zahi Hawass said in a statement.
The site was dubbed the “Lost Golden City of Luxor” and is believed to be one of the largest ancient sites of its kind discovered in Egypt.
The ruins boast intact city streets flanked by houses with walls up to 10 feet high. Archaeologists also discovered rooms filled with tools of daily life, left by the city’s former inhabitants “as if it were yesterday,” the statement said. Rings, colored pottery vessels, casting molds to make amulets, pots used to carry meat, and various types of tools were unearthed during the excavation. A large bakery “complete with ovens and storage pottery” was also discovered.