Museum marks 60 years since Poles started dig that led to sensational find

The National Museum in Warsaw is marking 60 years since Poles started excavations in the ancient city of Faras in today’s Sudan, a dig which led to one of the biggest successes of Polish archaeology.

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National Museum in Warsaw

The National Museum is celebrating the anniversary with a series of events for academics and the public which will run until autumn next year.

A Polish archaeological team led by Professor Kazimierz Michałowski arrived in Faras, in what was once ancient Nubia, on February 2, 1961. 

During excavations, the ruins of a Christian church were discovered. Its walls were covered with paintings from between the 7th and 14th centuries.

"These world-class objects found their way only to the Sudan National Museum in Khartoum and the National Museum in Warsaw," Jolanta Hercog of the Polish museum said on Tuesday.

International media dubbed the find the "Miracle of Faras."

Museums, art galleries and shopping malls around Poland were allowed to reopen on Monday after a partial easing of government coronavirus restrictions.

(pk/gs)

Source: IAR/PAP