More than 4,000-year-old mummies and tombs discovered in Egypt

Egypt on Thursday announced a series of new archaeological discoveries from the ancient village of Saqqara, south of Cairo, including a mummy (embalmed corpse) believed to be around 4,300 years old.

Former Antiquities Minister Zahi Hawass said in a statement, “This mummy may be the oldest and most complete mummy ever found in Egypt.”

This mummy is believed to belong to a man named Hekaships. Hawass said the mummy was “covered in layers of gold” and was placed inside an ornate limestone sarcophagus, which had been sealed for 4,300 years. “Just as the ancient Egyptians left it.”

Archaeologists also reported that they discovered four more tombs in this larger ancient cemetery. Hawass said the finds were dated to the 5th and 6th dynasties, which meant they could date back to the 25th to 22nd centuries BC.

Hawass further said that the largest tomb that scientists have discovered is believed to be that of a man named Khanum Jadif, the caretaker of priests and elite elders. He said the tomb, found in the pyramid complex of Anas, the last king of the Fifth Dynasty, was “decorated with scenes of daily life”.

Another unearthed tomb is that of a man identified as the Pharaoh’s “secretary.” At that time, such a title was given only to a high-ranking person living in the palace, Hawass said. The third tomb is said to be that of a priest while the fourth tomb is said to be that of a judge and writer named Fetek.

A series of ancient discoveries have been announced in recent years in an effort to revive Egypt’s vital tourism sector. Tourism is an important source of income in the country. And this could prove to be a key source of much-needed cash flow in the current troubled economic climate.

Egypt’s tourism sector has deteriorated rapidly in recent years, in which the Corona epidemic played an important role, and then the Russian war against Ukraine has also had a negative impact on the number of tourists visiting Egypt.