The 3,200-year-old ancient tomb of Panehsy, the guardian over the temple of the Egyptian god Amun, was discovered in the Saqqara cemetery, south of the Egyptian capital Cairo, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism announced on April 12.
The tomb is shaped like a temple, dating back to the 19th Dynasty of ancient Egypt (1292-1189 BC). The tomb was discovered by a group of Dutch and Italian archaeologists.
Saqqara - one of the most important cemeteries in ancient Egypt - has been the site of a series of archaeological discoveries in recent years.
Egypt wants to display newly discovered artifacts in an effort to find a way to restore key tourism, foreign currency and primary employment. Egypt attracted 11.7 million visitors in 2022.
Mostafa Waziri, general secretary of the Supreme Council for Antiquities in Egypt, said: The new discovery sheds light on the development of the Saqqara cemetery during the Ramesside period and sheds light on new individuals that are unknown in historical sources.
The ancient tomb is like an independent temple with an entrance, a yard with columns, an axis leading to underground burial rooms and 3 monks. The ancient tomb has just been discovered adjacent to the tomb of Maya - a high-ranking official during the reign of the young Egyptian king Tutankhamun.
Inside the ancient tomb, archaeologists found a stele painting Panehsy and his wife Baia - the singer of the god Amun - in front of an offering table, as well as some other paintings of priests and religious offerings.
Egyptian officials said the team had also excavated four small volunteer shrines during the excavation in the area, two of which included well-preserved reliefs of burial scenes and paintings of the revival of a nampree to live in the world outside.
The research team includes archaeologists from the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden (RMO) - which has been involved in the excavation of the area since 1975 and the Egyptian Museum in Turin (Museo Egizio) - who have participated in the excavation project as a major partner since 2015.
