EXPEDITION 2026

Dates: 24 March – 21 April 2026.

Area/site: Unit G, Fortified Settlement of Umm al-Dabadib.

Short description: The aim of this expedition was to complete the excavation of Unit G2 in the Fortified Settlement, and begin the restoration of the Fort. Unit G2, selected for comparison with Unit C, revealed a well-preserved domestic unit dating to the second half of the Fourth Century AD, consisting of four rooms arranged along a linear plan. The excavation documented the complete layout of the house through 3D photogrammetric surveys carried out before, during and after the work. The finds included a complete assemblage of ceramic vessels, a cachette of twenty-four glass vessels concealed beneath the floor, a small group of semi-precious objects including bone dice, beads, pendants and coins, fragments of terracotta figurines, a millefiori glass dish, faience vessels, and numerous weights and smoothed jar handles associated with productive activities. Most of the finds were transported to the Kharga Taftish for conservation, study and future display in the local museum. Conservation work focused on stabilising the eastern side of the Fort by consolidating the vertical joint between the eastern tower and the main building, repairing cracks in the upper part of the tower, and restoring and securing the main gate after damage caused by looters. The excavation areas were documented and backfilled to ensure their long-term preservation.

Team: Dr Corinna Rossi (Director), Dr Clementina Caputo (Deputy Director & Fieldwork Coordinator, Ceramicist), Dr Alessandro Mandelli (Surveyor), Dr Stefania Alfarano (Archaeologist), Mr Cesare Iezzi (Archaeologist), Dr Nicoletta De Troia (Registrar), Mohamed Hassan Gaber (Inspector), Dr Adel Abdelhamed Abdo (Conservator), Ayub Kolib Younes Mustafa, Mustafa Ibrahim Ahmed Ali, Abdel Nasr Othman Mohamed, Mahmoud Hussein Mohamed Radwan, Shaaban Ahmed Ali Ibrahim, Muhammad Mustafa Abdul Qadir (‘Hummus’), Saeed Mohammed Ibrahim and Karim Magdy (Workmen), Mahmoud Mohamed Ahmed (‘Nimery’) (Builder), Ahmed Mahmoud and Walid al-Husseini (Policemen), Harby Salah (‘Essam’) (Desert guide and responsible for logistics, Pan Arab Tours), Mustafa Hamdy Abdel Rahman (driver, Pan Arab Tours), and Shukri Hassan Mohamed (cook, Pan Arab Tours).

Acknowledgements: Mr Mohamed Ibrahim Ahmed (General Manager of the Kharga Antiquities), the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Ms Amal Moussa and Ms Marwa Fawzy (Pan Arab Tours), Magdy Ali (Project Representative in Cairo).

This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizion 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement n°  681673).