Egypt announced this Thursday the discovery of four tombs of pharaohs and a mummy more than four thousand years old in Saqqara, near Cairo, after being made public by Egyptian authorities.
The discoveries were made in the necropolis of Saqqara, an archaeological site known for the famous pyramid of Pharaoh Djoser, one of the oldest monuments of mankind.
The four tombs have been attributed to the Fifth and Sixth Dynasties of Egypt, between 2500 and 2100 BC.
Archaeologist Zahi Hawass explained to the press that Khnumdjedef, high priest of Pharaoh Unas, whose pyramid is in the same region, was buried there.
During the excavations, 50 feet deep, archaeologists also found a limestone sarcophagus in a “perfect” state of preservation for “4,300 years,” Hawass reported.
When they opened it, they found a mummy covered in gold, “one of the oldest and best preserved,” the archaeologist said.
The necropolis of Saqqara, just over 15 kilometers south of the famous pyramids of Giza, is considered a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
In recent months, Egypt has unveiled a series of important discoveries to the world, mainly in Saqqara, but also in Luxor, in the south of the country, where the Ministry of Antiquities reported Tuesday the discovery of the remains of an “entire Roman city” . dating from the first centuries of the Christian era.
However, for some experts, the succession of discoveries may have more political and economic motivations than scientific ones.
Egypt, which has a population of 104 million, is going through a serious economic crisis and the tourism sector is one of the main drivers of the economy.
Source: DN
