Egypt‘s antiquities ministry on Thursday unveiled the tombs of ancient high priests and a sarcophagus dedicated to the sky god Horus at an archaeological site in Minya governorate.
The mission found 16 tombs containing 20 sarcophagi, some engraved with hieroglyphics.
They were found at the Al-Ghoreifa site, about 300 kilometres (186 miles) south of Cairo.
An Egyptian archaeologist inspects a mummy in a limestone sarcophagus discovered along many finds in communal tombs in Ghuraifah in the Minya governorate,
Khaled al-Enany, the Egyptian minister of antiquities, said that the Minya region wherein the site is contained ‘continues to reveal its secrets’.
The shared tombs were dedicated to high priests of the god Djehuty and senior officials, from the Late Period around 3,000 years ago, the ministry said.
They were from the 15th nome, an ancient Egyptian territorial division ruled over by a provincial governor.
The ministry also unveiled 10,000 blue and green ushabti (funerary figurines), 700 amulets – including some made of pure gold – and one bearing the figure of a winged cobra
An Egyptian archaeologist inspects a burrial chamber among many communal tombs dedicated to high priests discovered in Ghuraifah
One of the stone sarcophagi was dedicated to the god Horus, the son of Isis and Osiris, and features a depiction of the goddess Nut spreading her wings.
Mohamed Wahballah, a member of the archaeological team, told The Times that one of the tombs contained six sarcophagi.
He said two of them were still sealed and in ‘very good’ condition. A number of the tombs were also wooden, and well preserved.
One wooden coffin belonged to a man called Hr, who served as a high priest.
In the same communal tomb, a coffin belonging to a man called Djed of Djehuty Luf Ankh, was found – believed to be one of the most important finds of recent times.
This is because of the titles inscribed on the lid, which are the nicknames of rulers of the Central Egypt region.
A skeleton discovered among many archaeological finds in the communal tombs
An Egyptian policeman stands guard on the site of the amazing discovery
A number of the tombs were also wooden, and well preserved
The ministry also unveiled 10,000 blue and green ushabti (funerary figurines), 700 amulets – including some made of pure gold – bearing scarab shapes, and one bearing the figure of a winged cobra.
Painted limestone canopic jars, which the ancient Egyptians used to store the entrails of their mummified dead, were also unearthed.
In February last year 50 mummies, including 12 children were discovered in burial chambers at the Tuna al-Gebel site in the same region.
Egypt has in recent years sought to promote archaeological discoveries across the country in a bid to revive tourism, which took a hit from the turmoil that followed its 2011 uprising.
Egypt has in recent years sought to promote archaeological discoveries across the country in a bid to revive tourism
Painted limestone canopic jars, which the ancient Egyptians used to store the entrails of their mummified dead, were also unearthed. Sarcophagi pictured
