Egypt unveils recently discovered ancient workshops, tombs in Saqqara necropolis

Associated Press

CAIRO — Egyptian antiquities authorities Saturday unveiled ancient workshops and tombs they say were discovered recently at a Pharaonic necropolis just outside the capital, Cairo.

The spaces were found in the sprawling necropolis of Saqqara, which is part of Egypt’s ancient capital of Memphis, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

<p>Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, displays a recently unearthed ancient wooden sarcophagus Saturday in Saqqara, about 15 miles southwest <span>of Cairo, Egypt.</span></p>

Amr Nabil, Associated Press

Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, displays a recently unearthed ancient wooden sarcophagus Saturday in Saqqara, Egypt.

Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said the workshops were used to mummify humans and sacred animals. He said they date back to the 30th Pharaonic Dynasty — 380 BC to 343 BC — and Ptolemaic period —305 BC to 30 BC.

<p>Visitors pose for pictures Saturday on top of recently unearthed ancient embalming workshops in Saqqara, Egypt.</p>

Amr Nabil, Associated Press

Visitors pose for pictures Saturday on top of recently unearthed ancient embalming workshops in Saqqara, Egypt.

Inside the workshops, archaeologists found clay pots and other items apparently used in mummification, as well as ritual vessels, Waziri said.

<p>Canopic jars, made to contain organs removed from a body during the mummification process, are displayed in Saqqara, Egypt.</p>

Amr Nabil, Associated Press

Canopic jars, made to contain organs removed from a body during the mummification process, on Saturday in Saqqara, Egypt.

The tombs, meanwhile, were for a top official from the Old Kingdom of ancient Egypt, and a priest from the New Kingdom, according to Sabri Farag, head of the Saqqara archaeological site.

<p>A visitor is reflected on a panel that holds recently unearthed ancient artifacts Saturday in Saqqara, Egypt.</p>

Amr Nabil, Associated Press

A visitor is reflected on a panel that holds recently unearthed ancient artifacts Saturday in Saqqara, Egypt.

In recent years, Egypt’s government has heavily promoted new archaeological finds to international media and diplomats. It hopes such discoveries will help attract more tourists to the country to revive an industry that suffered from political turmoil following the 2011 uprising.

Categories: World News