The Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram quoted Mr. Mostafa Waziri - General Secretary of the Supreme Council for Archaeology of Egypt - as saying that two workshops and two ancient tombs have been discovered in Saqqara - a large pharaoh cemetery in southern Cairo.
We have announced the discovery of the two largest bodyguard workshops for humans and animals in Saqqara Necropolis. This workshop is a place for human use, including the beds where the bodies are washed, Waziri told reporters.
The rough-work workshops date back to the 30th Dynasty (380-343 BC) and the Ptolemy Dynasty (305-30 BC).
The first workshop was a rectangular building with many rooms with 2 meter long and 50 cm wide stone beds used to renovate the deceased's body.
Archaeologists have excavated tools used by ancient Egyptians to remove organs from the body and remove organs next to vases used to preserve organs.
Archaeologists also found clay bottles and buried animals in the second workshop. This workshop has "five stone beds, different from those discovered in the human remains workshop".
According to initial research, people believe that this special workshop was used to ward off sacred animals, said Mr. Waziri.
In addition to the two workshops, archaeologists also encountered "one of the most beautiful ancient tombs" in the cemetery. The tomb is named after a leading official, Ne Hesut Ba, 4,400 years old and dating back to the fifth dynasty.
Ne Hesut Ba was the superior sacrificator for the goddess Maat and supervised the digging of canals for irrigation. Mr. Waziri praised this as an important tomb.
The second tomb is 3,400 years old and belongs to a Qadish Priest named Men Kheber Ra.
In January 2021, archaeologists discovered many ancient treasures in Saqqara, including ancient coffins, a burial area and a burial temple.
Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Ahmed Issa highlighted the key role of this site in the Egyptian government's plan to boost the economy through tourism.
Accordingly, Saqqara is being developed into a tourist hub, as part of a broader plan to increase the number of visitors to Egypt by 25% to 30% by 2023.
Minister Issa expressed his admiration for the arduous work of the Egyptian archaeologists who have revealed the new discovery.
I assure you that Egypt, especially the archaeological site of Saqqara, has not yet revealed all the secrets and there are many more secrets coming, the minister added.
