Thousands of tombs carved into the rock and dating back from the Ancient Kingdom to the Roman Era testify of the rich history of the city of Asyut. The tomb scriptures, for instance, are a great example of the classic-medieval Egyptian language. The transmission of these inscriptions for over 2000 years in Egypt demonstrates the high theological and religious-historical significance of Asyut.

The project “The Ancient Egyptian Necropolis of Asyut: Documentation and Interpretation” is a cooperation between the Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz, the Freie Universität Berlin and Sohag University (Central Egypt). The project is financed by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. Since 2005, one excavation campaign takes place per year. Detailed information on the previous results can be found on the Universität Mainz webpage.