Archaeological site · upper-egypt · codices buried c. 4th century; discovered December 1945
Cliffs near Nag Hammadi where thirteen leather-bound codices in Sahidic Coptic were found in December 1945 — the library that transformed our picture of early Christianity, written entirely in classical Coptic. Marker position is approximate.
Also known as: Jabal al-Tarif · Nag Hammadi cliffs
4th century: the thirteen codices are copied and buried in a jar beneath the cliffs.
December 1945: local finders uncover the sealed jar; the manuscripts gradually reach Cairo.
Today: the codices are conserved in Cairo, their texts studied worldwide — including through this platform's reader.
