Egypt unveils tomb still bursting with color after 4,300 years

Necropolis filled with ornate paintings discovered south of Cairo thought to have belonged to a Fifth Dynasty nobleman

CAIRO, Egypt — In a major archaeological discovery, Egypt on Saturday unveiled the tomb of a Fifth Dynasty official adorned with colorful reliefs and well preserved inscriptions.

The tomb, near Saqqara, a vast necropolis south of Cairo, belongs to a senior official named Khuwy who is believed to have been a nobleman during the Fifth Dynasty, which ruled over Egypt about 4,300 years ago.

“The L-shaped Khuwy tomb starts with a small corridor heading downwards into an antechamber and from there a larger chamber with painted reliefs depicting the tomb owner seated at an offerings table,” said Mohamed Megahed, the excavation team’s head, in an antiquities ministry statement.

Flanked by dozens of ambassadors, Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Enani said the tomb was discovered last month.

This picture taken on April 13, 2019 shows a view inside the newly-discovered tomb of the ancient Egyptian nobleman “Khewi” dating back to the 5th dynasty at the Saqqara necropolis in Egypt. (Mohamed el-Shahed / AFP)

It is mostly made of white limestone bricks.

Ornate paintings boast a special green resin throughout and oils used in the burial process, the ministry said.

The tomb’s north wall indicates that its design was inspired by the architectural blueprint of the dynasty’s royal pyramids, the statement added.

Mohamed Mujahid, head of the Egyptian mission which discovered the tomb, posing for a “selfie” photograph on a cell phone inside the newly-discovered tomb of the ancient Egyptian nobleman “Khewi” in Saqqara necropolis in Egypt on April 13, 2019. (Mohamed el-Shahed / AFP).

The excavation team has unearthed several tombs related to the Fifth Dynasty.

A photographer looks through the entrance of the tomb of Maia, the wet-nurse of legendary Egyptian boy king Tutankhamun, in Saqqara, Egypt, on December 20, 2015. (AFP/KHALED DESOUKI)

Archaeologists recently found an inscription on a granite column dedicated to Queen Setibhor, who is believed to have been the wife of King Djedkare Isesis, the eighth and penultimate king of the dynasty.

Egypt has in recent years sought to promote archaeological discoveries across the country in a bid to revive tourism that took a hit from the turmoil that followed its 2011 uprising.