Archaeologists found the gold-covered mummy inside a limestone sarcophagus that had remained shut for more than four millennia. It was among a number of recent discoveries, including four tombs found outside Cairo.
Artifacts, tombs, as well as a gold-laced mummy, are among the new discoveriesImage: KHALED DESOUKI/AFP
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Egypt on Thursday announced a series of new archaeological discoveries found in the Saqqara necropolis south of Cairo, including a mummy said to be 4,300 years old.
"This mummy may be the oldest and most complete mummy found in Egypt to date," Zahi Hawass, a former antiquities minister, said in a statement.
The mummy is believed to have belonged to a man named Hekashepes. Hawass said it was "covered in layers of gold," and concealed within a large limestone sarcophagus that had been sealed for 4,300 years, "just as the ancient Egyptians left it."
The millennia-old tombs were discovered in Egypt's Saqqara necropolis, south of CairoImage: Mohamed Abd El Ghany/REUTERS
What else did archaeologists find?
Archaeologists also said they had discovered four tombs at the vast burial site.
Hawass said the finds date from the fifth and sixth dynasties, which correspond to the 25th to the 22nd centuries B.C.
The largest tomb uncovered by scientists is believed to have belonged to a priest inspector and supervisor of nobles named Khnumdjedef, Hawass added.
Found in the pyramid complex of Unas, the last king of the fifth dynasty, the tomb is "decorated with scenes of daily life," he said.
Another discovered tomb belonged to a man identified as the pharaoh's "secret keeper." This refers to a priestly title which senior palace officials held.
The third tomb belonged to a priest, while the fourth was of a judge and writer named Fetek, Hawass said.
Spectacular finds in the ancient Egyptian necropolis of Saqqara
Archaeologists have discovered 250 sarcophagi and 150 bronze statues during excavations in the necropolis on the western bank of the Nile.
Image: Sui Xiankai/Xinhua/picture alliance
Media frenzy in Giza
At a presentation in Giza, visitors marvel at some of the finds unearthed by Egyptian archaeologists during recent excavations in the necropolis of Saqqara. Among the treasures of the necropolis are 250 sarcophagi with well-preserved mummies. Saqqara is an important excavation site on the southern bank of the Nile, and it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Image: Amr Nabil/AP Photo/picture alliance
Proud discoverer
Mustafa Wasiri presents the treasures. The head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt reports that among the artifacts is a statue of the architect Imhotep. The presumed first great master builder of the Old Kingdom revolutionized architecture in the ancient world. Finding his tomb is one of the main goals of the archaeological mission in Saqqara.
Image: Ziad Ahmed/NurPhoto/picture alliance
More treasures inside the treasures
In one of the 250 sarcophagi, archaeologists discovered an untouched and sealed papyrus scroll. Experts suspect that the scroll, estimated at nine meters (30 feet) in length, contains a chapter from the Book of the Dead, a collection of spells and incantations intended to guide the dead through the underworld.
Image: Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images
The new museum is ready
The sarcophagi, bronze statues of gods and ritual instruments are to be moved to the Great Egyptian Museum, which is near the Giza pyramids. After repeated delays the authorities plan to inaugurate the new museum this year.
Image: Amr Nabil/AP Photo/picture alliance
A lot to do
The new find joins a list of recent spectacular discoveries: In February 2021, 16 burial chambers were found on the outskirts of the city of Alexandria. The same month, a 5,000-year-old brewery was discovered in Sohag. In April 2021, the "Lost Golden City" near Luxor followed, and this March, five elaborately decorated burial chambers were presented in Saqqara (seen here in the picture).
Image: Sui Xiankai/Xinhua/picture alliance
Hoping for tourism
Hopes are high in Egypt's government that the archaeological discoveries of recent years and the new monumental museum will help revive tourism. The coronavirus pandemic and the conflict in Ukraine have severely affected the tourism sector, an important source of revenue for Egypt.
Tourism is a prime source of revenue in the country that could pump much-needed hard currency in turbulent economic times.
But the sector has sharply deteriorated in recent years, with the COVID-19 pandemic and then Russia's war on Ukraine negatively impacting the number of tourists flying to Egypt.
