Egypt revealed on Monday the discovery of 250 sarcophagi and 150 bronze statues in the Saqqara necropolis, south of Cairo, the latest in a series of notable finds in the region.
The site of Saqqara, a little more than 15 kilometers south of the famous pyramids of the Giza plateau, it is classified in the world heritage of UNESCO and known for the famous stepped pyramid of Pharaoh Djeser.
This monument, built around 2,700 before the Christian era by the architect Imhotep, is considered one of the oldest in the world.
Among the 150 statues discovered on the site are one of the architect, also vizier and physician, Imhotep. Inventor of carved stone construction, Imhotep “revolutionized architecture” in the ancient world, Mostafa Waziri, director of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, told the press on Monday.
Statues of Osiris, Isis, Nefertum and Anubis
“Finding the tomb of Imhotep” is one of the main objectives of the archaeological mission that has already carried out four seasons of archaeological explorations in the site, added Waziri.
In addition to the Imhotep statue, other bronze statues representing the divinities of the Egyptian pantheon “Osiris, Isis, Hathor, Amon Min, Nefertum and Anubis” were unveiled, indicated the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in a statement.
Y “150 wooden sarcophagi with mummies” from the 5th century before ours, were also discovered, Waziri added.
In one of them, a papyrus ” intact” and “sealed” found by archaeologists was immediately transferred to the museum’s laboratory Egyptian eo of Tahrir Square, in Cairo, to be restored and analyzed.
About 9 meters long, it surely includes chapters from the Book of the Dead, according to the director.
Finding for a monumental museum
Waziri indicated that the sarcophagi would be moved to the new “Great Egyptian Museum”, near the Giza plateau, which the Egyptian authorities hope to inaugurate this year after many postponements.
In January 2021, Egypt had already discovered new archaeological “treasures” in Saqqara, of which some 50 New Empire sarcophagi over 3,000 years old.
The authorities assure that these findings will make it easier to “rewrite the history” of this period.
Cairo is counting on these new discoveries to relaunch tourism, affected by the Covid-19.
This sector, which employs 2 million people and generates more than 10% of GDP, is affected since the Arab Spring of 2011.
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