Egyptian archaeologists have discovered two facilities for embalming humans and animals. Also two tombs, in the Saqqara necropolis south of Cairo, the government announced on Saturday.
More than a dozen pyramids, animal graves, and ancient Coptic Christian monasteries are located on the extensive burial site in the ancient Egyptian capital Memphis, which is a Unesco World Heritage site.
Mostafa Waziri, the director of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, told reporters that the embalming workshops. Where humans and animals were mummified, “date back to the 30th dynasty” which reigned approximately 2,400 years ago.
Egypt’s Tourism and antiquities ministry reported that archaeologists “discovered several rooms furnished with stone beds where the deceased were placed for mummification.”
Each bed ended in gutters to facilitate the mummification process. And there was a collection of clay containers nearby to hold the organs and entrails, as well as a collection of instruments and ritual vessels.
Initial examinations of the other workshop suggest that it was used for the “mummification of sacred animals.” The discovery also comprises the tombs of two priests who lived during the 24th and 14th centuries B.C., respectively.
The first belonged to fifth-dynasty chief scribe and priest of Horus and Maat Ne Hesut Ba.
Mohamed Youssef, Saqqara archaeological site superintendent, says the tomb walls portray “daily life, agriculture, and hunting scenes.”
Youssef told reporters that the second tomb, belonging to a priest named Men Kheber, was carved from granite and contains depictions of the deceased on the tomb walls as well as in a one-meter-long alabaster statue.
Egypt has made several significant archaeological discoveries in recent years.
Critics assert that the abundance of excavations has prioritized media-appealing finds over rigorous academic research.
Egypt’s efforts to revitalize its vital tourism industry amid a severe economic crisis have relied heavily on these discoveries.
Tourism and Antiquities Minister Ahmed Issa announced at the site on Saturday that the government has recently launched a strategy “aiming for a rapid increase in inbound tourism” of 25-30% per year.
Egypt plans to attract 30 million tourists per year by 2028, up from 13 million before the Covid pandemic.
The government’s effort culminated in the Grand Egyptian Museum’s long-delayed opening at Giza’s pyramids.
