
Mut Precinct
Since 1976, the Brooklyn Museum has been carrying out archaeological work at the Temple Precinct of the Goddess Mut (pronounced "Moot") at South Karnak, an important religious site for almost two thousand years. The Mut Precinct is perhaps best known for its statues of Sakhmet, many of which are now housed in museums (including the Brooklyn Museum). Hundreds of these statues remain within the Precinct's walls. The Museum's team, which has shared the site with an expedition from Johns Hopkins University since 2001, continues to explore how the Mut Precinct grew and what its inscriptions reveal about ancient Egyptian religion and life. Both expeditions are also devoted to the conservation and restoration of the site's monuments.
The work of the Mut Expeditions is conducted under the auspices of the American Research Center in Egypt and is supervised by the Supreme Council of Antiquities, which authorizes and supervises all archaeological work in the country. Under the direction of its Secretary General, Dr. Zahi Hawass, the Supreme Council is responsible for the exploration, preservation, and restoration of Egypt's rich cultural heritage.
Learn more about the history of the Mut Precinct.
Dig Diary
Dig Diary invites you to follow the recent work of the expedition in weekly photo journals covering every aspect of our team's activity. Along the way, we hope you learn something about how archaeologists work and the complexities of the tasks they face.
Dig Diary 2010
Dig Diary 2009
Dig Diary 2008
Dig Diary 2007
Dig Diary 2006
Dig Diary 2005
Flickr Photo Project
As part of the project to document the ongoing work at the Mut Precinct, the Museum's excavation team has uploaded photos to the popular photo sharing site, Flickr. The following photosets can be explored:
The Goddess Mut: An Introduction
The Mut Precinct Then & Now
Rams & Sphinxes
Making Mud Bricks – 1985
Scenic Mut
Mut Precinct – Temple A
Mut Precinct – Baboon Repair
Chapel D & Taharqa Gate
Mut 2008: Sights at the Site and Beyond
Mut 2009: Sights at the Site and Beyond
Mut 2010: Sights at the Site and Beyond
Expedition Reports
After each season of fieldwork, Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities requires all archaeological expeditions to submit a report, in English and Arabic, for eventual publication in the journal Annales du Service des Antiquités de l’Egypte (ASAE). Dr. Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Supreme Council, has graciously allowed the Museum’s excavation team to make its recent reports available online as well, in order to reach a wider audience. The reports cover the following seasons:
1996–2001*
English Arabic
2005
English Arabic
2006*
English Arabic
2007*
English Arabic
2008
English Arabic
2009
English Arabic
*These reports appeared in ASAE issues 79, 81, and 82, respectively.
Since 1976, the Brooklyn Museum has been carrying out archaeological work at the Temple Precinct of the Goddess Mut (pronounced "Moot") at South Karnak, an important religious site for almost two thousand years. The Mut Precinct is perhaps best known for its statues of Sakhmet, many of which are now housed in museums (including the Brooklyn Museum). Hundreds of these statues remain within the Precinct's walls. The Museum's team, which has shared the site with an expedition from Johns Hopkins University since 2001, continues to explore how the Mut Precinct grew and what its inscriptions reveal about ancient Egyptian religion and life. Both expeditions are also devoted to the conservation and restoration of the site's monuments.
The work of the Mut Expeditions is conducted under the auspices of the American Research Center in Egypt and is supervised by the Supreme Council of Antiquities, which authorizes and supervises all archaeological work in the country. Under the direction of its Secretary General, Dr. Zahi Hawass, the Supreme Council is responsible for the exploration, preservation, and restoration of Egypt's rich cultural heritage.
Learn more about the history of the Mut Precinct.
Dig Diary
Dig Diary invites you to follow the recent work of the expedition in weekly photo journals covering every aspect of our team's activity. Along the way, we hope you learn something about how archaeologists work and the complexities of the tasks they face.
Dig Diary 2010
Dig Diary 2009
Dig Diary 2008
Dig Diary 2007
Dig Diary 2006
Dig Diary 2005
Flickr Photo Project
As part of the project to document the ongoing work at the Mut Precinct, the Museum's excavation team has uploaded photos to the popular photo sharing site, Flickr. The following photosets can be explored:
The Goddess Mut: An Introduction
The Mut Precinct Then & Now
Rams & Sphinxes
Making Mud Bricks – 1985
Scenic Mut
Mut Precinct – Temple A
Mut Precinct – Baboon Repair
Chapel D & Taharqa Gate
Mut 2008: Sights at the Site and Beyond
Mut 2009: Sights at the Site and Beyond
Mut 2010: Sights at the Site and Beyond
Expedition Reports
After each season of fieldwork, Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities requires all archaeological expeditions to submit a report, in English and Arabic, for eventual publication in the journal Annales du Service des Antiquités de l’Egypte (ASAE). Dr. Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Supreme Council, has graciously allowed the Museum’s excavation team to make its recent reports available online as well, in order to reach a wider audience. The reports cover the following seasons:
1996–2001*
English Arabic
2005
English Arabic
2006*
English Arabic
2007*
English Arabic
2008
English Arabic
2009
English Arabic
*These reports appeared in ASAE issues 79, 81, and 82, respectively.

Eastern Parkway/Brooklyn Museum