September 9, 2020
Along the banks of the Nile, in the Necropolis of Saqqara, a team of archaeologists unearthed more than 13 ancient Egyptian mummy coffins found within a burial well, as reported by Live Science on Wednesday. They discovered coffins piled on top of each other, believed to have dated back 2,500 years ago.
The coffins measure close to 40 feet (11 meters) deep with complex designs in delicate hues of blue, gold, white, black, and red. The Egyptians performed the process of mummification with a mixture of holy rite and a 70 day ritual believed to keep the body intact to house the soul during the afterlife, a death ritual that dates back to 600 B.C.
The newly discovered coffins are considered the largest finding at Saqqara since 30 wooden coffins were discovered in a cache at Al-Asasif cemetery within the necropolis in 2019.
Saqqara was also the last resting place for kings and royal families. Researchers expect to find more coffins in the necropolis and have yet to look into the identity of the coffin remains which remain sealed as reported by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in a Facebook post on Sept 6th.
The statement translated reads:
Dr. Khaled Al-Annani, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, accompanied by Dr. Mustafa, Minister General of the Supreme Council for Antiquities, check out the work of the excavations of the Egyptian archaeological mission working in the area of Saqqara, which resulted in the detection of a deep well for burial with more than 13 A human coffin has been closed for more than 2500 years, with a depth of about 11 meters, and closed wood coffins found above each other.
Dr. Khaled Al-Anani has been keen to go down to the bottom of the well with Dr. Mustafa Waziri to check the reveal in preparation for his announcement soon at a press conference in the area of Saqara Archaeology, and thanks to the workers on the site for working in difficult circumstances while adhering to the procedures Precautionary.
Preliminary studies indicate that these coffins are completely closed and haven't opened since they were buried inside the well and are not the only ones, more likely to be found inside the sides of the well, one of them opened and done A number of archaeological and wooden coffins found inside, so far, the identity and positions of the owners of these coffins or their total number have not been identified, but these questions will be answered within the next few days through the continuation of excavations.
The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities is conducting a social media promotional campaign in the coming period to promote this archaeological reveal, and its first promotional films are set to be published shortly.
Noteworthy that the ministry has announced more than one archaeological discovery over the past years in the area of Saqqara Archaeology, which includes the largest number of coffins in his burial since the discovery of Assef's environment.
....................... Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities