Friday March 29th, 2024
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802 Tombs Were Discovered Buried Under a Massive Cemetery in the South of Egypt

Who knows what else lies buried deep below our shifting sands?

Staff Writer

802 Tombs Were Discovered Buried Under a Massive Cemetery in the South of Egypt

Deep under the sands of Egypt, a joint expedition between the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has discovered 800 tombs, according to a Facebook post by the Ministry of Antiquities.

The tombs were discovered outside the village of Lisht in Southern Egypt, buried under a massive cemetery, and nestled between two pyramids, one positioned to the north, and one to the south.

Adel Okasha, Director of the Pyramids region, said that this was an important discovery, as it provides them with one of the richest databases known about the country’s central cemeteries in terms of their practices and religious beliefs, and it generally gives us more information about daily life during the Middle Ancient Dynasty.

“The site is one of the largest in the Middle Kingdom throughout Egypt,” said an American archaeologist leading the mission.

The tombs are characterised by a special architectural style, carved into the rock and surrounded by brick and limestone, according to the Ministry of Antiquities.

The cemetery, engraved on the rocky edge of the mountain, consists of two parts. The first part is an open courtyard leading to a corridor with a domed ceiling with hieroglyphics, while the second part of the cemetery is a burial plot located in an open courtyard. 

The project that unearthed these tombs is part of the Egyptian government’s initiative to restore many of Egypt’s historical sites after looting and destruction took place during Egypt’s political instability.

Main image from Facebook