A remarkable discovery beneath Egypt's Western Desert has offered fresh evidence of how far Christianity spread across the ancient world, and how deeply it took root far beyond the Nile's better-known cities.

Archaeologists have uncovered a well-preserved Byzantine-era city at the Dakhla Oasis, revealing evidence of a thriving Christian community around 1,600 years ago.

The site, known as Ain Al-Sabil in Egypt's New Valley Governorate, was excavated by a mission from the Supreme Council of Antiquities and is considered one of the most complete Byzantine-period settlements ever found in the Western Desert.

A basilica-style church dating to the mid-fourth century AD stands at the centre of the settlement, indicating the presence of an established Christian congregation.

Archaeologists also identified an older house belonging to a resident named Tapibos, which researchers believe may have served as a house church before the basilica was constructed.

Another well-preserved building, the home of a church deacon named Tisus, shows evidence of an organised Christian community with its own clergy.

Mahmoud Massoud, director general of Dakhla Antiquities and head of the excavation, said the settlement "contained all the architectural components of a fully functioning community", complete with broad north-south streets, intersecting roads, public squares, homes and watchtowers.

Among the most significant finds were nearly 200 inscribed pottery fragments, or ostraca, bearing texts in Coptic and Greek.

Diaa Zahran, head of the Islamic, Coptic and Jewish Antiquities Sector, said the inscriptions "record commercial transactions, correspondence and other details of daily life, offering an exceptional documentary record of the city's inhabitants."

Researchers say the discovery provides further evidence of Christianity's presence in Egypt during the Byzantine period, when the faith became increasingly influential across the region.