In 1991 a group of archaeologists from the University of Pennsylvania discovered a true mystery in the desert sand 1 kilometre north-west of Abydos in the south of Egypt. Alongside the wall of the temple of the Second Dynasty (2890-2686 BC), pharaoh Khasekhemwy they found 14 wooden ships with lengths varying between eighteen and twenty four metres. Long enough to enable them to sail the seas. They are the oldest ships ever found in Egypt (3000 BC) and predate the Khufu ship at Giza by at least 300 years. The ships were buried in a brick stone grave paved with clay and plaster.

The explanation for these mysterious ships, as believed by archaeologists, is that they served to send the soul of a pharaoh to the heaven. Being so, the ships reveal a high level of technical sophistication, and moreover, the capability to cross the seas and perhaps the oceans.

We may wonder why the ships were buried in the desert sand. Though we should realise that in those days the climate may have been more moderate than today. It was the time of the Holocene Optimum where sea level was about 2 meters higher than at present, and temperatures higher. Egypt must have had a greener climate.