This site was a near rectangular enclosed settlement c.60m x 43m externally, with a church in its northeast corner. It was identified by A.J.Mills during the initial ASSN reconnaissance of 1964, with further excavations taking place in February-March 1966. It lay 70m south of the modern hamlet of Bishar, on the west bank of the Nile, c.2.5km upstream of the Semna ‘gate’, close to the river just above high river level. The brick enclosure wall was quite eroded but where buried in sand survived c.2.5m high. Several internal buildings, some with vaulted roofs, survived along the east wall, but the western wall was eroded to near foundation level. A medieval cemetery [16-E-20] lay to the west of the settlement.

View west along sand-buried north wall of enclosure

View south along eroded west wall of enclosure – showing stone foundation with brick facing.

The church (with an Adams Type 2b plan), built in mudbrick, was built on an existing sandy mound. Most of its internal plan survived including four brick piers, a brick pulpit, a brick haikal screen, as well as a brick mastaba added to the south side of the haikal. Only a few traces of white painted plaster survived within the area of the apse, but no other evdience for its decoration. Little datable pottery was recorded but sherds included a range of medieval wares, surface sherds including including N.III (R5), NIV (R7, W6),  N.VI (W15, U5), as well as imported A.II (R4). The sparse excavated material was mainly ‘Classic Christian’ including wares W5, W6, W10, and W7.    Amongst the few registered finds was a small fragment of a Coptic stele (SNM.18316)

Panoramic view to east, over church with corridor along north side and vaulted rooms to south (right)

Excavated primary floor of Church apse

Brick altar, pier and haikal screen in church

Small fragment of Coptic stele – SNM.18386 (see Tsakos 2009:209)