Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities officially opened its doors on March 19 to visit five tombs discovered earlier this month in the Pharaonic Cemetery outside the capital Cairo. These tombs date back to the Old Kingdom period (from about 2700 BC to 2200 BC).
Mostafa Waziri, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt, displays funerary artifacts at the tomb.
Mostafa Waziri, secretary general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, reportedly said Egyptian archaeologists began excavating the site last September, and the tombs were owned by senior Egyptian officials, including regional rulers and palace overseers.
He said the five tombs are all well painted and excavations are still ongoing, with more to be found in the area.
The open-door tomb is located near the Pyramid of Djosel.
The tombs were found near the Zossel Stepped Pyramid in the Saqqara Cemetery, 24 kilometers southwest of Cairo.
Videos shared on social media by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities show the tombs with shafts leading to the burial chambers, the walls of which are decorated with hieroglyphic inscriptions and images of sacred beasts, as well as posthumous objects used by ancient Egyptians.
The walls of the burial chamber are decorated with exquisite frescoes and hieroglyphs.
The Saqqara ruins are part of a vast group of tombs in Memphis, Egypt's ancient capital, which includes the famous Pyramids of Giza and small pyramids located in Abu Sir, Dahshur, and Abu Ruwaysh. In the 1970s, the ruins of Memphis were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Egyptian government hopes to inaugurate the new Grand Egyptian Museum near the Giza Plateau later this year, after its opening has been repeatedly delayed.
In recent years, Egypt has vigorously promoted new archaeological discoveries to the international community, hoping to attract more tourists.
Text/Nandu reporter Chen Lin