The authorities of Egypt reported this Monday about the finding in the necropolis of Saqqaralocated in the south of Cairo, of 250 sarcophagi and 150 bronze statuesincluding that of Imhotep, Egyptian architect, vizier and physician, known for being the inventor of carved stone construction.
The site of Saqqara, a little more than 15 kilometers south of the famous pyramids of the Giza Plateau, is considered unesco world heritage and known for the famous Step Pyramid of Pharaoh Djeser.
This monument, considered one of the oldest in the world, was built around 2,700 before the Christian era for him architect Imhotep. And one of the novelties of the finding released this Monday is that among the 150 statues discovered in the place there is one corresponding to Imhotep.
Imhotep, explained this Monday Mostafa Waziri, director of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, “revolutionized architecture” in the ancient world. “Find Imhotep’s Tomb”acknowledged the expert, is one of the main mission objectives archaeological site that has already carried out four seasons of archaeological explorations on the site.
Among the statues found there are also some that represent the divinities of the Egyptian pantheon, such as “Osiris, Isis, Hathor, Amon Min, Nefertum y Anubis”said the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in a statement.
In addition, archaeologists and archaeologists found “250 wooden sarcophagi with mummies” from the 5th century BC. In one of them, an “intact” and “sealed” papyrus was found, which was immediately transferred to the laboratory of the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square, in Cairo, to be restored and analyzed. According to Waziri, the nine meters in length that it possesses “certainly include chapters from the Book of the Dead”.
Sarcophagi, tourism and museums
The sarcophagi, said the official, will be moved to the new “Great Egyptian Museum”near the Giza Plateau, which the Egyptian authorities hope to inaugurate this year after many postponements.
The site of Saqqara had already been a novelty in January 2021, when the discovery of new archaeological “treasures” was announced, including some 50 sarcophagi from the New Empire that are more than 3,000 years old, a discovery that according to the authorities will facilitate “rewriting history” of this period.
Findings of this kind are important for relaunching the turismoa sector that employs two million people, that generates more than 10% of GDP and that was affected by the Arab Spring of 2011 and by the coronavirus pandemic.