A note by a Maltese geophysicist lay in the sands of Egypt for almost half a century

In the Egyptian desert found a glass bottle with a note left almost half a century ago. The find was made by Bedouin Suleiman Zidane while exploring a remote area of Wadi Jadid in the west of the country. This is reported by the Times of Malta.

The container lay on a rocky ridge among metal boxes and a rusty water tank. Inside was a handwritten leaflet: "May 1977; Tom Moran; Party 6305; Avich Bay Street; Malta." Zidane’s cousin Ayman sent photos of the find to the editorial office with a request to help identify the author of the message.

The search led to Carmen Rossiter, Tom Moran's sister. The woman confirmed the authenticity of the note, recognizing the handwriting of her brother. Tom died in 1998 at the age of 54.

Moran worked as a geophysicist for an American oil exploration company and lived in Egypt for many years. He left school early and joined the British Army at the age of 16, where he gained a profession that allowed him to work in countries around the world, including Saudi Arabia and Papua New Guinea. In the last years of his life he held a position in the state administration of oil exploration.

The address in the note did not indicate a specific locality, but a government bulletin dated January 22, 1981 found a mention of a person with the surname Moran, who lived at the specified address.

For Ayman, the find was remarkable not only because of the established connection with Malta, but also because of the preservation of the message. "The desert kept his message intact," he noted.