Members of an Egyptian archaeological team work on April 18, 2017 on a wooden coffin discovered in a 3,500-year-old tomb in the Draa Abul Nagaa necropolis, near the southern Egyptian city of Luxor (AFP Photo/STRINGER)

Luxor (Egypt) (AFP) - Egyptian archaeologists have unearthed several mummies, colourful wooden sarcophagi and more than 1,000 funerary statues in a 3,500-year-old tomb near the city of Luxor hailed as an "important discovery". Egyptian officials from the antiquities ministry first announced the discovery of six well-preserved mummies and two partially preserved remains in the tomb near the southern city of Luxor, according to Phys.org. Cairo (CNN) Egyptian officials unearthed eight mummies, 10 colorful sarcophagi and numerous figurines in 3,500-year-old tombs, the Ministry of Antiquities announced Tuesday. The excavation is ongoing,” AFP reports that Mostafa Waziri, the head of the Egyptian archeological mission, said. The 18th Dynasty tomb, discovered in the Draa Abul Nagaa necropolis near the famed Valley of the Kings, belonged to a nobleman named Userhat who worked as the city judge, the ministry said in a Tuesday statement. It was opened to add more mummies during the 21st Dynasty, about 3,000 years ago, to protect them during a period when tomb-robbing was common, Mostafa Waziri, the head of the archaeological mission, said at the site. “It was a surprise how much was being displayed inside,” said Antiquities Minister Khaled el-Enany.”We found a large number of Ushabti (small carved figurines), more than 1,000 of them.”

“This is an important discovery,” he added. The ushabti, found inside a nine-meter shaft in the tomb, refers to miniature figurines often placed in the tombs of dead ancient Egyptian nobles, apparently to provide servants to serve the nobles in the afterlife. Inside the tomb, archaeologists wearing white masks and latex gloves inspected the sarcophagi, which were covered with intricate drawings in red, blue, black, green, and yellow, and featured the carved faces of the dead. The coffins were mainly well-preserved, though some had deteriorated and broken over the years. The archaeologists said they were examining the mummies found wrapped in linen inside the coffins. White, orange, green, and patterned pots were also found in the tombs. The excavation is ongoing.”

The tomb comprised an open courtyard leading to two halls, one containing four ancient coffins and the other including a chamber that houses six. In another room, the mission found "a collection of ushabti figurines, wooden masks and a handle of a sarcophagus lid was unearthed," the statement said. Waziri said the mummies dated back to an age called “the era of the tomb robbers.”

Another room in the tomb was also discovered, though it has not yet been completely excavated, the ministry said. Nevine el-Aref, the spokeswoman for the antiquities ministry, said “there is evidence and traces that new mummies could be discovered in the future.”

Earlier this year, Italian researchers began a fresh investigation into the King Tutanhkamun’s resting place with the hope they will find the “discovery of the century”.
The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities announces the discovery of eight mummies, 10 colorful sarcophagi, and numerous figurines in a 3,500-year-old tomb near the Valley of the Kings in Luxor.