At Saqqara, five ancient tombs have been discovered near an Old Kingdom pyramid, the unfinished one of King Merenre I. They belong to high dignitaries of the 6th or 7th dynasty.
The interior of the Iry vault, one of the five pharaonic tombs unveiled at Saqqara, on March 19, 2022 in Egypt.
Egypt:five pharaonic tombs unearthed next to a pyramid in Saqqara Sciences et Avenir with AFP 00 :00 / 00:00 Your browser does not support the audio element. Five pharaonic tombs "in good condition and erected for high officials" were unveiled on Saturday March 19, 2022 in Egypt at Saqqara, in the necropolis of Memphis, the capital of the Old Kingdom of the pharaohs.
The site of Saqqara, just over fifteen kilometers south of the famous pyramids of the Giza plateau, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is known for the famous step pyramid of Pharaoh Djoser, the first of the era pharaonic. This monument, built around 2700 BC by the architect Imhotep, is considered one of the oldest on the surface of the globe.
Sarcophagus and objects
The five tombstones were discovered by Egyptian archaeologists northeast of the pyramid of King Merenre I who ruled Egypt around 2270 BC. According to the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the tombs contained the remains of senior officials. In the vault of one of them, named Iry, excavations unearthed a limestone sarcophagus and colorful decorations depict funerary scenes, including "tables of offerings, the seven oils and the facade of a palace" , he said in a press release.
Three other tombs, six meters deep, belong to two women, one of whom was "solely responsible for the king's grooming" , and to the priest Pepi Nefhany. The last, dedicated to "Henu, steward of the royal household" , sinks seven meters deep, from the same source.
Revive tourism
Already in January 2021, Egypt had unveiled new archaeological "treasures" in the Saqqara necropolis, including around fifty New Kingdom sarcophagi over 3,000 years old, claiming that they allowed to "rewrite the story" of this period.
The Egyptian authorities hope to inaugurate in the coming months the "Great Egyptian Museum" near the Giza plateau and are counting on these new discoveries to revive tourism, hit hard by the Covid-19. This sector, which employs two million people and generates more than 10% of GDP, has been at half mast since the Arab Spring in 2011.