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(NEXSTAR) – Covered by the sands of Egypt, archaeologists have discovered what is thought to be the largest city of the Egyptian empire.

Called Aten, and nicknamed the “Lost Golden City,” the ruins date back to the reign of Amenhotep III, according to a press release posted on Facebook.

The 3,000-year-old city was discovered by Dr. Zahi Hawass, a famed archaeologist and Egyptologist responsible for many major discoveries from antiquity.

The uncovering of the “Lost Golden City,” near Luxor, Egypt, is a major archeological coup, according to Betsy Brian, a professor of Egyptology at Johns Hopkins University.

Brian called its unearthing “the second most important archaeological discovery since the tomb of Tutankhamun,” according to a press release.

LUXOR, EGYPT – APRIL 10: Zahi Hawass, Egyptian archaeologist, Egyptologist, and former Minister of State for Antiquities Affairs at the site of a 3000 year-old lost city on April 10, 2021 in Luxor, Egypt. Egyptian archaeologists have discovered Aten or “the lost golden city” which is believed to be the largest ancient city ever discovered in Egypt and one of the most important finds since the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb. The 3000 year-old city which dates back to the reign of Amenhotep III was discovered near Luxor. After seven months of excavations the team unearthed several neighborhoods which included, a bakery and administrative and residential districts. Jewelry, pottery vessels, scarab beetle amulets, and rooms filled with tools of daily life were also found giving archaeologists a rare glimpse into ancient Egyptian life.(Photo by Mahmoud Khaled/Getty Images)

The mission to uncover the “Lost Golden City” began in 2020. Within weeks of searching, “formations of mud bricks began to appear in all directions.”

What the archeological team ultimately found was a large city “in a good condition of preservation, with almost complete walls, and with rooms filled with the tools of daily life.”

All those “archaeological layers” have sat “untouched for thousands of years, left by the ancient residents as if it were yesterday.”

As the lore goes, the city was eventually abandoned, but the archeological researchers are unsure if that’s actually the case.

Only further research will unlock the mysteries of the the “Lost Golden City,” including if and why it was deserted and where its former residents went.