Egypt has announced the discovery of a 4,400-year-old tomb belonging to a senior official from the fifth dynasty of the pharaohs.
Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anani said the tomb had been discovered at the Saqqara archaeological site and was “exceptionally well preserved” and contained many statues of different sizes and colours.
Decorative scenes show the owner, a royal priest named Wahtye, with his mother, wife and other relatives. Archaeologists began excavating the tomb on Sunday, and expect more discoveries to follow – including the owner’s sarcophagus. In all, there were 45 statues in the grave.
REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El GhanyNearly nine feet tall and 32 feet wide, the tomb has been under excavation since November. The walls are decorated with colorful hieroglyphs and statues of pharaohs, while sculptures of the buried priest and his family were placed in the tomb.
The head of the excavation mission, Mostafa Waziri, said other drawings showed wine and pottery making, musical performances, sailing, hunting and the manufacture of funeral furniture.
Its near-perfect condition makes it “one of a kind in the last decade,” Waziri said.
King Neferirkare was the third king of the Fifth Dynasty and he ruled from between 2500-2300 BC, according to AFP.
