CAIRO, Egypt: Five ancient tombs were discovered earlier this month outside Egypt’s capital Cairo.
The tombs date to the Old Kingdom spanning roughly from 2700 BC to 2200 B.C., according to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said Egyptian archeologists started excavating the site in September.
“All of those five tombs are well-painted, well-decorated. Excavations did not stop. We are planning to continue our excavations. We believe that we can find more tombs in this area,” he said, as quoted by the Associated Press.
Footage shared on the ministry’s social media pages showed burial shafts leading to the tombs, with walls decorated with hieroglyphic inscriptions and images of sacred animals and after-life items used by ancient Egyptians.
The tombs were found near the Step Pyramid of Djoser, in the Saqqara Necropolis, 15 miles southwest of Cairo. The Saqqara site is part of a sprawling area at Egypt’s ancient capital of Memphis, which includes the famed Giza Pyramids, as well as smaller pyramids at Abu Sir, Dahshur and Abu Ruwaysh.
In recent years, Egypt has heavily promoted new archaeological finds to attract more tourists to the country.
