Archaeologists hailed the discovery of an intact Ptolemaic temple pylon in Sohag, a city on the western bank of the Nile in Egypt.

The incredible finding was made at the western side of the main temple of Athribis, the Supreme Council of Antiquities and the University of Tubingen announced, and was celebrated as a “significant milestone”.

The recovery of the pylon has now set in motion plans for further excavation at the site, a significant portion of which remains buried, according to Dr Mohamed Ismail Khaled, the secretary general at the Supreme Council.

Describing the finding made by a team of Egyptian and German experts, he said: “The facade of the pylon, which has been completely uncovered, is 51 metres wide, divided into two towers, each 24 metres wide, separated by the entrance gate.”

The pylon dates back to the Ptolemaic period in Egypt, which lasted between 305 BCE and 30 BCE. Following the beginning of the reign of Ptolemy I Soter, one of Alexander the Great’s generals, and the creation of the Ptolemaic dynasty, Greek and Egyptian cultures merged.

Mohamed Abdel Badie, head of the Central Administration for Upper Egypt Antiquities and the Egyptian side of the mission, said that cleaning the pylon revealed hieroglyphic inscriptions on both the exterior façade and interior walls.

Among the inscriptions uncovered were scenes of the pharaoh welcoming Repyt and the child god Kolanthes.

He explained: “Through studying the cartouches discovered at the entrance and on one of the interior sides, it was determined that this gate dates back to the reign of Ptolemy VIII, who may have been the founder of the temple.”

Ptolemy VIII Physcon’s rule lasted between 170 and 116 BCE, although he shared the power with his siblings for the first 14 years of his reign.

This means the newly-discovered pylon may be approximately 2150 years old.

Dr Christian Leitz, head of the team’s German contingent, said the mission had completed uncovering the temple’s southern chamber. The chamber was first found during an excavation at the site carried out between 1907 and 1908 by a British archaeological mission led by the scholar Petrie.

Dr Marcus Muller, the site’s director from the German side, said the archaeologists also uncovered a previously unknown room at the top of a flight of stairs.

The joint mission has been working in the area for more than a decade, during which it managed to excavate all components of the main Athribis Temple.

Athribis was an ancient Egyptian city and a cult centre for the worship of the god Min-Re, his wife Repyt and their son Kolanthes.