More than 100 ancient coffins unearthed in Egypt

Sat, Nov 14, 2020
By editor
2 MIN READ

Foreign

Egypt on Saturday announced the unearthing of a cache of ancient coffins at a major necropolis near Cairo, the second such find in the same area in 2020.

Tourism and Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anani said Egyptian archaeologists had found more than 100 sealed, intact human coffins and 40 funerary masks and statues in three shafts at the Saqqara necropolis near the famed pyramid of King Djoser.

The coffins have been closed for more than 2,500 years.

In October, Egypt announced the discovery of 59 well-preserved and colourfully decorated ancient coffins in the same area.

“Saqqara has shown only one per cent of what it has,” al-Anani said at a televised press conference at the site on Saturday.

“If we continue our excavations, various human and animal tombs are expected to be found in it. It’s a very rich area,” he added.

The artifacts announced Saturday date back to ancient Egypt’s Late Period and the Ptolemaic era, the official said.

The collection will be put on show at Egypt’s three main museums, including the Grand Egyptian Museum being built next to the Giza pyramids, according to al-Anani.

Egypt has in recent years announced a string of archaeological discoveries in several parts of the nation in an attempt to revive its battered tourism industry, which is a main source of national income.

Tourism has been hard hit since the 2011 uprising against long-time dictator Hosny Mubarak and the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. (dpa/NAN)

Nov 14 2020 @ 18:05 GMT

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