A tomb, sarcophagi and several funerary objects of ancient Egypt, recently discovered in a necropolis in Luxor, in the south of the country, were unveiled Saturday in the presence of minister of Antiquities. These discoveries, made by archaeological missions of egyptian and French, were presented to the press in front of the famous mortuary temple of queen Hatshepsut, which is located near the necropolis of Al-Assassif, on the west bank of Luxor. This necropolis, between the valley of the Queens and the valley of the Kings, was intended for the nobles and high-ranking officials relatives of the pharaohs.
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According to the ministry of Antiquities, the tomb discovered date from the Middle Kingdom (Eleventh and Twelfth dynasty) and belongs to the «Thaw-Irkhet-Fi», presented as the supervisor of the momifications in the temple of Mut, located on the famous site of Karnak, also in Luxor. The supreme Council of antiquities of egypt has discovered «a new tomb, ( … ), with very beautiful paintings,» said the minister of Antiquities, Khaled al-Anani during a press conference. This tomb contains «numerous findings», he said happily. It is made up of several funerary objects, including two sarcophagi dating from the late period statues, and about 1,000 small statuettes funerary wood, earthenware and clay, called «ouchebtis».
A mission of the French Institute of oriental archaeology (IFAO) and the University of Strasbourg, for its part, found in another tomb in the same necropolis of Al-Assassif, two other sarcophagi, dating, them, of the Eighteenth dynasty, said Mr Anani. One of them contained the mummy of «well-preserved» a woman named Cedar, said the ministry in a press release. The responsible of media in the ministry Nevine Aref has, however, reported later to the AFP that the name was not totally «sure», specifying that research is ongoing about it.
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The egyptian authorities announced regularly, archaeological discoveries, while the country is often accused of a lack of scientific rigour and neglect in the preservation of its antiquities. The archaeological sites, especially in Luxor, is also for Egypt, a major argument in the face of competition from other tourist destinations. The tourism sector, in berne in the country since the 2011 revolution, has experienced a relative improvement in recent months.
