Egypt unveils new finds, opens two old pyramids
EGYPT on Saturday opened t wo ancient pyramids south of the capita l Cairo and unveiled a collection of newly found sarcophagi, some containing well-preser ved mummies.
Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anani told reporters the Bent Pyramid of King Sneferu, the first pharaoh of Egypt’s 4th dynasty, and a nearby pyramid would be reopened to visitors for the first time since 1965.
He also said a team of archaeologists had uncovered sarcophagi and the remains of an ancient wall dating back to the Middle Kingdom some 4,000 years ago.
The finds were made during excavation work in t he roya l necropolis of Dahshur on the west bank of the Nile River, in an area home to some of Eg y pt’s oldest pyramids.
“Several stone, clay and wooden sarcophagi were found and some contain mummies in good condition,” the antiquities ministry said in a statement.
The ancient wall stretches some 60m and is situated south of the pyramid of 12th dynasty pharaoh King Amenemhat II, also in the Dahshur necropolis.
The finds a lso included funerar y masks as well as tools dating back to t he Late Period – which spanned a lmost 300 years up to Alexander t he Great’s conquest of Eg y pt i n 332 BC – used for cutting stones, t he ministr y said.
Egypt has in recent years sought to promote archaeological discoveries across the country in a bid to revive tourism, which took a hit from the turmoil that followed its 2011 uprising.