Egyptian archaeologists said Saturday that they discovered 59 well-preserved and sealed coffins in recent weeks that were buried more than 2500 years ago.
Opening one of the richly decorated sarcophagi before the media gathered, the team mummified the remains wrapped in burial cloth with brightly colored hieroglyphic inscriptions.
The spectacular discovery was unearthed south of Cairo in the vast saqqara cemetery, the necropolis of the former Egyptian capital of Memphis, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
“We are very much with this discovery,” said Mostafa Waziri, general secretary of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.
Since the discovery of the first thirteen coffins approximately 3 weeks ago, others have been discovered in wells at depths of up to 40 feet (12 meters).
An undetermined number of additional coffins may still be buried there, said Tourism and Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anani near the 4700-year-old Djoser Pyramid.
“So today is not the end of discovery, but the beginning of wonderful discovery,” he said.
The coffins, sealed more than 2500 years ago, date back to the defeated era of ancient Egypt, around the 6th or 7th century BC, the minister added.
Excavations in Saqqarah have exposed treasures of artifacts in recent years, such as snakes, birds, beetles and other mummified animals.
The discovery of coffins is the first major announcement since the Covid-19 epidemic in Egypt, which led to the closure of museums and archaeological sites for about 3 months since the end of March.
Anani, all coffins will be transported to the Great Egyptian Museum (GEM) which will soon be open on the Giza Plateau.
Egypt expects an avalanche of archaeological discoveries in recent years and the GEM will bring its important tourism sector to life, which has suffered shocks since the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings, the pandemic’s recent highest.
mab-mz / fz / hkb