Guernsey Press

4,400-year-old priest’s tomb uncovered in Egypt

The find in Saqqara includes brightly painted statues and ‘exceptionally well-preserved treasures’.

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A private tomb thought to be more than 4,000 years and built for a senior official from the 5th dynasty of pharaohs has been discovered in Egypt.

Antiquities minister Khaled al-Anani announced the find in Saqqara, just west of Cairo, which is also home to the famed Step Pyramid.

Egypt Antiquities
Mostafa Waziri, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, inside the tomb (Amr Nabil/AP)

Mr Anani said the tomb contains scores of statues of different sizes and colours.

Egypt Antiquities
Relief statues in the tomb (Amr Nabil/AP)

In recent years, Egypt has heavily promoted new archaeological finds to international media and diplomats in the hope of attracting more visitors to the country.

The vital tourism sector has suffered from the years of political turmoil since the 2011 uprising.

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