Egypt discovers 250 mummies in queues at Saqqara cemetery

“In one of the wooden coffins we first found a complete and sealed papyrus,” he told reporters at a temporary exhibition on Monday. The document was immediately transferred to a museum for further study. Waziri said he believed it was similar to those found 100 years ago that discuss the Book of Gates and the Book of the Dead. Both are ancient Egyptian funerary texts.

Waziri, who led the archaeological expedition, said that the excavations also revealed 150 bronze statues of Egyptian deities and instruments used in rituals dating back to the late period of ancient Egypt, around 500 BC.

Preserve the sounds of the ancient city

The Egyptian government hopes a A large number of recent archaeological discoveries It will help revive the country’s tourism industry, bring in much-needed foreign exchange and create new jobs.

The Egyptian economy dependent on tourism has suffered in the past decade From the political chaos that arose after the Arab Spring 2011. Recently, it has been hit by corona virus pandemic, that limited global travel and the war in Ukraine; Usually Russia and Ukraine are big sources of tourists in the country.

In the tombs of Saqqara, new discoveries rewrite the history of ancient Egypt

Ancient discoveries have been made across the country in recent years, leading to a new understanding of the dynasties that ruled ancient Egypt.

In February last year, Archaeologists have found 16 human burial chambers On the site of an ancient temple on the outskirts of the northern city of Alexandria. Two of the mummies had gold tongues, which Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities officials said allowed them to “speak in the afterlife.”

in the same month, Giant 5,000-year-old brewery – believed to be the oldest in the world It was discovered in the southern city of Sohag. Researchers have hypothesized that beer was used in the burial rites of the early kings of Egypt.

In April last year, archaeologists announced that they had discovered the Earth 3,000-year-old ‘lost golden city’ In the southern city of Luxor, they said it might be the biggest find since the tomb of the boy king Tutankhamun.

The Saqqara necropolis, where the most recent discoveries were made, was part of the tombs of the ancient capital of Memphis. Its ruins are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The coffins will be transferred to the new The Grand Egyptian MuseumIt is scheduled to open near the famous Giza Pyramids outside Cairo in November for viewing.

Sudarsan Raghavan contributed to this report.