Watch: A 4,400-year-old tomb of an Egyptian high priest was unearthed by archaeologists
The interior was filled with colourful hieroglyphs and statues of pharaohs.
A new discovery in #Saqqara today!
— Ahmed Sameh (@EgyptWithAhmed) December 15, 2018
New tomb of the 5th dynasty was discovered and unveiled today.
Tomb of ( Wah-tye ) who was the royal purification priest, the supervisor of King Nefer-Ir-Ka-Ra and the inspector of the holy boat.
🎥 video: By me #ThisisEgypt pic.twitter.com/0ydZvLY7Ns
In a “one-of-a-kind” find, a 4,400 year-old-tomb of a priest and his family was discovered by archaeologists in Egypt. The well-preserved tomb was unearthed in Saqqara, a city south of Cairo and dated back to the rule of Neferirkare Kakai, the third king of the fifth dynasty of ancient Egypt which governed for almost two centuries, from 2,500 BC to about 2,350 BC. The priest, named Wahtye, served during this time.
Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said they found five shafts inside and were expecting to make interesting discoveries when they excavated them. He added that tomb was unique because of the hieroglyphs and the statues of the pharaohs on the walls.
"One of a kind" tomb of ancient high priest unveiled in #Egypt pic.twitter.com/MGQiw0EpjB
— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) December 16, 2018
Videos showing the structure and interiors of the tomb were posted on social media. “The colour is almost intact even though the tomb is almost 4,400 years old,” Waziri said, according to Reuters. Archaeologists are expecting to find even the owner’s sarcophagus during the excavations.