The Ministry of Antiquities announced on Sunday the discovery of a new cemetery near Tuna Al-Gabal in Minya governorate. Daily News Egypt’s photographer captured photos from inside the cemetery, where a family tomb was unearthed along with the mummies of its members, who were priests of the gods during their lifetime.
The cemetery had burial shafts of several priests who are believed to belong to the late pharaonic period and early Ptolemaic era.
The family cemetery had a collection of 40 sarcophagi of different shapes and sizes, with statues and figurines with the names of the members carved on them.
Thirteen burials were found inside the cemetery in which 1,000 well-preserved figurines were found, while many others were discovered in bad condition and restorers are still collecting their parts.
One of the discovered tombs belongs to a priest called “Hersa-Essei” who was also dubbed “the pioneer of the five”, referring to his high position. It was decorated with blue and red beads and bronze gilded sheets.
The mummy was decorated with a with hieroglyphic texts, one of which is engraved with the phrase “happy new year.”
The tombs also included alabaster jars decorated with the names of their owners with the inner parts of a priest found inside them. The mummy of the priest, who was named “Djehuty-Irdy-Es” was unearthed.
All photos taken by Mohammed Omar
