Egypt unveils five ancient tombs in Saqqara necropolis

By AFP 19 March 2022, 4:22 pm

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Members of the media gather on March 19, 2022, in the area where five ancient Pharaonic tombs were recently discovered at the Saqqara archaeological site, south of the Egyptian capital Cairo (Khaled Desouki/AFP)

Egypt unveils five ancient Pharaonic tombs at the Saqqara archaeological site south of Cairo, the latest in a series of landmark discoveries in the area.

Saqqara is a vast necropolis of the ancient Egyptian capital Memphis, a UNESCO World Heritage Site home to more than a dozen pyramids, animal burial sites, and ancient Coptic Christian monasteries.

Egyptian archaeologists discovered the five tombs northeast of the pyramid of King Merenre I, who ruled Egypt around 2270 BC.

According to Mostafa Waziri, the head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, the five tombs — all of which are in good condition — belonged to senior royal officials.