A French-British archaeological mission from the French Institute for Oriental Archaeology and the UK's Liverpool University have discovered ancient engravings alabaster quarries in Tel El-Amarna that could help reveal how ancient Egyptians managed to move stone blocks from alabaster quarries during the Khufu period.

Dr Mostafa Waziri, the secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said in statements on Tuesday that the mission started work at the site in Minya, Upper Egypt in 2012.

Waziri explained that the mission conducted engineering and topographic surveys to investigate how ancient Egyptians extracted and moved alabaster, one of the most important materials used in making statues, sarcophagi, tiles and vases.

Tel El-Amarna represents the remains of the capital city established in 1346 BC by the Pharaoh Akhenaten of the late Eighteenth Dynasty, and abandoned shortly after his death in 1332 BC.