Cue the “Indiana Jones” theme tune: there’s been another impressive archeological discovery in Egypt – and this time it’s mummies.
Following on from the recent discovery of a 3,000-year-old mummified woman, Egyptian excavators have unearthed eight newly discovered ancient mummies inside limestone coffins.
These sarcophagi, adorned with beautifully painted human forms, were uncovered in the southeastern area of King Amenemhat II’s pyramid in Dahshur Necropolis, near the Great Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.
They’ve been dated back to the Pharaonic period (from 32 BC to 332 BC).
Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities announced the discovery on its Facebook page – with Mostafa Waziri, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, explaining that three of the mummies are in good condition.
The findings have been placed in Dahshur’s storehouse for conservation. Photographs of the striking discoveries are going to exhibited in soon-to-be-opened museums in Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh.
New discoveries
In the past couple of months, Egypt’s also opened its 4,000-year-old Tomb of Mehu for the first time, discovered a new mini-sphinx and unearthed a mysterious ancient ramp that offers clues about how the country’s famous pyramids were constructed.
Publicizing these incredible discoveries on social media is one way Egypt’s trying to attract tourists.
Egyptian officials are keen to attract more visitors to the country – its tourism numbers took a swift decline following the Arab Spring of 2011.
But in August 2018 the UN’s latest Tourism Highlights Report pinpointed Egypt as the fastest growing tourist destination in 2017, thanks to a 55.1% growth in 2017 international arrivals.
