Not far from the Egyptian city of Luxor, a cache was discovered in which more than 20 sealed sarcophagi were kept. The wooden artifacts were found "as the ancient Egyptians left them" and are perfectly preserved. According to the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities, this find is one of the most important discoveries in recent years.
Well-preserved wooden sarcophagi were found in the necropolis of El Assasif, which is located next to one of the Egyptian ancient capitals, Thebes, on the site of which modern Luxor is located. Artifacts date back to the Middle Kingdom (2040 and 1783 (or 1640) BC), the New Kingdom (1550-1069 BC), and later.
So far, experts do not disclose details and the exact age of the finds, but they shared photos from the excavations. According to the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities, this find is one of the most important archaeological discoveries in recent years.
Excavations in these places have been going on for several years, and archaeologists are sure that in addition to the discovered sarcophagi, many more tombs can be found here. The excavation site already promises to become popular with tourists. Local travel company Luxor Travels published news of the find, actively inviting travelers there.
The artifacts found were evaluated by experts in Egyptology. Professor John Baines of the University of Oxford noted that the find "looks legitimate and matches known samples." He also added that it is unclear whether this work was actually carried out by Egyptian specialists, since the area was previously explored by the Austrians. The curator of the Egyptian National Museum, Mohammed Mokhtar, also spoke about the find: “This is an amazing discovery. I think the most important thing in Egypt in 2019”.
Promotional video:
Meanwhile, archaeologists continue to actively explore Luxor. One of the recent discoveries is the first industrial zone of ancient Egypt in a place known as the "Valley of the Monkeys". In the area, 30 workshops were found, as well as tools that were used to build the tombs of the pharaohs. Archaeologists have determined that the found industrial zone was built during the reign of the pharaohs of the XVIII dynasty (1550-1292 BC).
Also, less than a week ago, archaeologists discovered a striking find inside one of the Egyptian sarcophagi. This is the oldest copy of the "soul map for achieving eternal life" (pictured below). A similar one was once found in another wooden coffin, in Tel Aviv.