Egypt has unveiled a major new archaeological find of 250 sarcophagi, 150 small bronze statues of gods and goddesses and other antiquities at the Saqqara necropolis.
Mostafa Waziri, secretary general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, displayed part of the cache, including 35 of the painted wooden coffins, in a televised event on Monday at the Unesco Heritage site south of Cairo.
Dating back more than 2,500 years to the Late Period, the sarcophagi are in good condition and all included mummies inside.
This is the largest number of coffins and bronze statues to be unearthed by the Egyptian archaeological mission at the site near the famous Step Pyramid of Djoser.
“I'm very proud that the discovery was made by Egyptians, and this will not be the last discovery here,” Mr Waziri said.
The find is one of several made at Saqqara, the necropolis of the ancient capital of Memphis, in recent years.
The Egyptian mission has completed its fourth excavation of the site since April 2018 and will conduct a fifth in September after the hot summer months.
A “rare” papyrus scroll, expected to measure about nine metres, was also found and could be a depiction of a chapter of the Book of the Dead, a tradition of funerary manuscripts dating back to the Old Kingdom, Mr Waziri said.
The statuettes, displayed in a large glass case, include deities such as Anubis, Amun, Hathor, Isis, Min, Nefertum, Osiris and Bastet — the “protector” of the area in the form of a cat. Mr Waziri highlighted the headless statue of Imhotep, the chief architect of Pharaoh Djoser who ruled ancient Egypt between 2630BC and 2611BC.
Also on display were two larger statues of the goddesses Isis and Nephthys with gilded faces, wailing in mourning.
Among the other antiquities discovered, dating back more than 3,200 years to the New Kingdom, were cosmetic items such as combs, bracelets, necklaces, small pots and a mirror.
All of the items will be transported to the Grand Egyptian Museum, which is scheduled to be completed by September, or the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, to be studied before deciding on where they will be displayed permanently.
Saqqara has proved a treasure trove for human and animal mummies, sarcophagi, statues and other items from ancient Egypt.
When Egyptian archaeologists began excavation at the site in 2018, they discovered the tomb of a priest that had been untouched for 4,400 years, which then became the subject of the 2020 Netflix documentary Secrets of the Saqqara Tomb.
In the autumn of 2020, the team unveiled 59 sealed sarcophagi of priests and clerks from Egypt's 26th Dynasty, followed by more than 100 ancient coffins in what was the biggest find of the year.
In January last year, the tourism and antiquities ministry announced the discovery of more than 50 wooden sarcophagi and a five-metre papyrus depicting a chapter of the Book of the Dead.
More recently, in March, five well-preserved tombs dating back to the Old Kingdom were unearthed.
Mr Waziri said there were “many surprises to come” and that he hoped the mission would find the grave of Imhotep “who changed architecture” by building what is believed to be the oldest still-standing large-scale stone monument.
Egypt hopes the archaeological discoveries and media attention will help spur tourism, which struggled to rebound in the aftermath of the 2011 uprising and has since been hit by the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the Russia-Ukraine war this year. Russia and Ukraine normally account for a big chunk of the country's tourists.
As part of its PR blitz, last year Egypt hosted a globally watched pharaonic parade of mummies and sarcophagi through central Cairo to transfer 22 mummies – 18 kings and four queens – to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation. The mummies included the famous King Ramses II, as well as Queen Hatshepsut.
The Grand Egyptian Museum, whose opening has been delayed several times, is a central element to the new tourism promotion strategy as the country hopes to lure back visitors.
Egypt welcomed just 3.6 million tourists in 2020, less than a quarter of the number who visited in 2019, as the pandemic wiped out $17.6 billion from Egypt’s economy and caused the loss of 844,000 travel and tourism jobs that year. However, numbers have picked up as travel resumed around the world with health protocols.
Five ancient tombs discovered at Egypt's Saqqara necropolis — in pictures
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Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
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