The excavations at Ismant el-Kharab and Mut el-Kharab in 2001

Besides the continuation of fieldwork at Ismant el-Kharab, a new project was initiated at Mut el-Kharab. Surface evidence from the excavations at Mut el-Kharab indicated that the site was occupied from the OK to the Islamic period. The scale of the remaining structures indicates that it was a site of considerable importance, undoubtedly the capital of Dakhla by the TIP. The site and its environs are briefly described and the current state of knowledge concerning the site prior to recent work is reviewed. The temple enclosure is the largest in the region; it is known to have been dedicated to Seth and is the suggested find spot of the two so-called Dakhla Stelae, since long in the possession of the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.