Cairo, May 27 (BNA): The Egyptian Antiquities Authority revealed, on Saturday, archaeological workshops and tombs that it said were recently discovered in a pharaonic cemetery outside the capital, Cairo.
The spaces were found in the sprawling necropolis of Saqqara, which is part of Memphis, the ancient capital of Egypt, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, according to the Associated Press.
Mostafa Waziri, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said the workshops were used to mummify sacred humans and animals. He indicated that it dates back to the Thirty Pharaonic Dynasty (380 BC to 343 BC) and the Ptolemaic Period (305 BC to 30 BC).
Waziri said that inside the workshops, archaeologists found pottery and other items apparently used in mummification, as well as ritual utensils.
The tombs, meanwhile, were of a high-ranking official from the Old Kingdom in ancient Egypt, and a priest from the New Kingdom, according to Sabri Farag, head of the Saqqara archaeological site.
In recent years, the Egyptian government has heavily promoted new archaeological discoveries to international media and diplomats. She hopes these discoveries will help attract more tourists to the country to revive the industry, which was plagued by political turmoil in the wake of the 2011 uprising.
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