Gaza, January 11, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - The ministry of tourism and antiquities in Gaza on Monday declared the discovery of ancient artifacts in Rafah near the Egyptian border.
Mohammed Al-Agha, tourism and antiquities minister in Hamas-led government said, "The most important of the findings are 1,300 antique silver coins, both large and small,"
He said archaeologists had also uncovered a black basalt grinder, a coin with a cross etched on it, and the remains of walls and arches believed to have been built in 320 BC.
They also discovered a mysterious underground compartment with a blocked entrance that appeared to be a tomb, Agha added.
The Palestinian Authority has been carrying out archaeological excavations since the 1990s, but this was the first major find to be announced by the Hamas-led government. Agha considered it as the most important discovery in the last 20 years.
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