Cairo - Egyptian and French archeologists discovered a sacred lake 12 metres underground in the ancient city of Tanis, 120 kilometres northeast of Cairo, Egypt's Minister of Culture announced Thursday.

The lake, which is 15 metres long and 12 metres wide, is part of a temple which was built in ancient Egypt to honour the goddess Mut, according to a statement by the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA).

"This is the second lake to be discovered in Tanis city. The first was discovered in 1928, and was dedicated to the temple of the ancient god Amun, Mut's husband," Antiquities chief Zahi Hawass was quoted in the statement as saying.

Tanis is a city in the north-eastern Nile delta of Egypt and was founded in the late twentieth dynasty. It became the northern capital of Egypt during the following dynasty.

The chief deities of Tanis were Amun, Mut, and their child Khonsu. (dpa)