In Pictures

Egypt unveils ancient mummification workshops and tombs

Two human and animal embalming workshops, as well as two tombs, have been unearthed at the Saqqara necropolis south of Cairo.

Canopic jars, which were made to contain organs that were removed from the body in the process of mummification, are seen at the site of the Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara — Canopic jars, which were made to keep the organs removed during the process of mummification, are seen at the site of the Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara, 24km (15 miles) southwest of Cairo. [Amr Nabil/AP Photo]

By News Agencies

Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered two human and animal embalming workshops, as well as two tombs, in the Saqqara Necropolis south of Cairo, the government said on Saturday.

Located at the ancient Egyptian capital Memphis, the vast burial site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to more than a dozen pyramids, animal graves and old Coptic Christian monasteries.

Mostafa Waziri, head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, told reporters the embalming workshops, where humans and animals were mummified, “date back to the 30th dynasty” which reigned about 2,400 years ago.

Researchers “found several rooms equipped with stony beds where the deceased lay down for mummification”, Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said.

Each bed ended in gutters to facilitate the mummification process, with a collection of clay pots nearby to hold entrails and organs, as well as a collection of instruments and ritual vessels.

Early studies of one workshop suggest it was used for the “mummification of sacred animals”.

The discovery also includes the tombs of two priests dating back to the 24th and 14th centuries BC, respectively.

The first belonged to Ne Hesut Ba, who served the Fifth Dynasty as the head of scribes and priest of the Gods Horus and Maat.

The tomb walls are decorated with depictions of “daily life, agriculture and hunting scenes”, said Mohamed Youssef, director of the Saqqara archaeological site.

The second tomb, that of a priest named Men Kheber, was carved in rock and features depictions of the deceased himself on the tomb walls, as well as in a 1 metre-long (3-foot) alabaster statue, Youssef told reporters.

Egypt has unveiled a string of significant archaeological discoveries in recent years.

Critics say the flurry of excavations has prioritised finds shown to grab media attention over hard academic research.

The discoveries have been a key component of Egypt’s attempts to revive its vital tourism industry amid a severe economic crisis.

The government recently launched a strategy “aiming for a rapid increase in inbound tourism” at a rate of 25 to 30 percent a year, Tourism and Antiquities Minister Ahmed Issa said at the site on Saturday.

Egypt aims to draw in 30 million tourists a year by 2028, up from 13 million before the COVID pandemic.

The crowning jewel of the government’s strategy is the long-delayed inauguration of the Grand Egyptian Museum at the foot of the Pyramids of Giza.

An Egyptian archeologist points at a colored painting showing offering sacrifices at a recently uncovered tomb — An Egyptian archeologist points at a coloured painting showing the offering of sacrifices at a recently uncovered tomb that was said to belong to a top official of the Fifth Dynasty named Ne Hesut Ba (2400 BC) at the site of the Step Pyramid of Djoser. [Amr Nabil/AP Photo]

A newly discovered small mummified animal is displayed at the Saqqara Necropolis. [Khaled Desouki/AFP]

Newly discovered small mummified animals — The head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities told reporters the embalming workshops, where humans and animals were mummified, 'date back to the 30th dynasty' which reigned about 2,400 years ago. [Khaled Desouki/AFP]

A basket filled with doum fruit (zuriat) among other newly discovered objects. [Khaled Desouki/AFP]

Mostafa Abdo Sadek, the overseer of diggers,observes a newly discovered sarcophagus in the Saqqara necropolis — Mostafa Abdo Sadek, the overseer of diggers, looks at a newly discovered sarcophagus. [Khaled Desouki/AFP]

A colored painting is seen on a recently unearthed ancient wooden sarcophagus — The coloured painting on a recently unearthed wooden sarcophagus at the site of the Step Pyramid of Djoser. The discovery also includes the tombs of two priests dating back to the 24th and 14th centuries BC, respectively. [Amr Nabil/AP Photo]

Newly discovered ancient objects are displayed at the Saqqara necropolis — Egypt has unveiled a string of major archaeological discoveries in recent years. [Khaled Desouki/AFP]

Visitors tour the site in the Saqqara necropolis south of Cairo — Visitors tour the site in the Saqqara Necropolis. The vast burial site at the ancient Egyptian capital Memphis is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to more than a dozen pyramids, animal graves and old Coptic Christian monasteries. [Khaled Desouki/AFP]

Visitors pose for pictures on top of recently unearthed ancient embalming workshops — Visitors pose for pictures above recently unearthed ancient embalming workshops. Critics say the flurry of excavations has prioritised finds to grab media attention over hard academic research. [Amr Nabil/AP Photo]