EGYPT’S NEWLY UNEARTHED ANCIENT TOMBS ARE ON SHOW IN SAQQARA

Sun 20 March 2022:

At a Pharaonic necropolis just outside Cairo on Saturday, Egypt revealed newly unearthed, well-decorated ancient tombs.

According to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the five graves were discovered earlier this month and date from the Old Kingdom (1570 B.C. and 1069 B.C.) and the First Intermediate Period, which lasted more than a century following the collapse of the Old Kingdom.

Egyptian archaeologists began excavating the site in September, according to Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities. He explained that the tombs were for top officials such as regional rulers and palace supervisors in ancient Egypt.

“All of those five tombs are well-painted, well-decorated. Excavations did not stop. We are planning to continue our excavations. We believe that we can find more tombs in this area,” he told reporters at the site.

اكتشاف ٥ مقابر بجنوب سقارة عمرها حوالى ٤٠٠٠ عام
The Discovery of five 4000-year-old tombs south of Saqqara@mostafa_waziri @KhaledElEnany6 pic.twitter.com/MG1kPRmrEQ

— Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (@TourismandAntiq) March 17, 2022

The tombs were found near the Step Pyramid of Djoser, in the Saqqara Necropolis, 24 kilometers (15 miles) southwest of Cairo.
Footage shared on the ministry’s social media pages showed burial shafts leading to the tombs. Walls were seen decorated with hieroglyphic inscriptions and images of sacred animals and after-life items used by ancient Egyptians.

The Saqqara site is part of a sprawling necropolis at Egypt’s ancient capital of Memphis that includes the famed Giza Pyramids as well as smaller pyramids at Abu Sir, Dahshur and Abu Ruwaysh. The ruins of Memphis were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1970s.

Egypt has been extensively promoting new archaeological discoveries to international media and officials in recent years in the hopes of bringing more tourists to the country.

Years of political turbulence and violence followed a 2011 revolt that deposed President Hosni Mubarak, wreaking havoc on Egypt’s critical tourist sector, which is a major source of foreign currency.

The sector has just lately begun to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, but it has been impacted hard by the consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine, along with Russia, is a key supplier of visitors to the Middle Eastern country.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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