An Egyptian archaeological team working in Cairo’s famed Saqqara necropolis has announced the discovery of a pink granite sarcophagus believed to have belonged to a prominent statesman who lived during the reign of King Ramses II (1279-1213 BC).
The sarcophagus was found near the pyramid of King Unas, one of the oldest relics in Saqqara, according to Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities.
The pink sarcophagus was decorated with the name of its owner Ptah-M-Wiah, along with scenes depicting the sons of the ancient Egyptian god Horus and a prayer to protect the deceased, according to the council's statement.
The outside of the coffin was sculpted in the likeness of the deceased and showed him holding the “djed” of the god Osiris, a stone pillar that symbolises Osiris’s backbone, in one hand, and the "tyet" or girdle of the goddess Isis in the other. His hands are crossed over his chest.
The tomb of Ptah-M-Wiah was found in October during the mission's previous excavation season, but his sarcophagus had been left buried.
The team at the time found stone and clay relics at the site of the tomb, including pillars which are a tribute to the ancient Egyptian god Osiris. Despite damage, one of the walls of the tomb was left standing.
It is decorated with a large painting depicting a procession of people carrying offerings, which ends with a scene of a calf being slaughtered.
Dr Ola El Aguizy, who heads the Cairo University mission that unearthed the sarcophagus, said the coffin was found in a burial chamber in the middle of the cemetery.
She said a piece near the top of the coffin had been smashed off, indicating it had been robbed in the past, like many ancient Egyptian relics.
The broken piece was found nearby and reattached to the sarcophagus, she said.
Dr Mustafa Waziri, Secretary General of the antiquities council, said the discovery is significant because of Ptah-M-Wiah’s prominence in the court of Ramses II, also known as Ramses the Great, one of the most celebrated pharaohs of ancient Egypt.
In addition to managing Ramses II’s funerary temple in Thebes, Ptah-M-Wiah also held the positions of royal scribe, chief supervisor of livestock and head of the treasury.
“What also makes this tomb unique is the area it was found in,” Dr El Aguizy told The National.
“A number of very important military leaders, statesmen and aristocrats were buried there, most of whom date back to the reign of Ramses II.”
The ministry intends to open the tomb for visitors to the Saqqara necropolis after it completes its excavation efforts in the area.
New Zealand 57-0 South Africa
Tries: Rieko Ioane, Nehe Milner-Skudder (2), Scott Barrett, Brodie Retallick, Ofa Tu'ungfasi, Lima Sopoaga, Codie Taylor. Conversions: Beauden Barrett (7). Penalty: Beauden Barrett
The specs: 2018 Renault Koleos
Price, base: From Dh77,900
Engine: 2.5L, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 170hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 233Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.3L / 100km
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Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
The years Ramadan fell in May
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Start-up hopes to end Japan's love affair with cash
Across most of Asia, people pay for taxi rides, restaurant meals and merchandise with smartphone-readable barcodes — except in Japan, where cash still rules. Now, as the country’s biggest web companies race to dominate the payments market, one Tokyo-based startup says it has a fighting chance to win with its QR app.
Origami had a head start when it introduced a QR-code payment service in late 2015 and has since signed up fast-food chain KFC, Tokyo’s largest cab company Nihon Kotsu and convenience store operator Lawson. The company raised $66 million in September to expand nationwide and plans to more than double its staff of about 100 employees, says founder Yoshiki Yasui.
Origami is betting that stores, which until now relied on direct mail and email newsletters, will pay for the ability to reach customers on their smartphones. For example, a hair salon using Origami’s payment app would be able to send a message to past customers with a coupon for their next haircut.
Quick Response codes, the dotted squares that can be read by smartphone cameras, were invented in the 1990s by a unit of Toyota Motor to track automotive parts. But when the Japanese pioneered digital payments almost two decades ago with contactless cards for train fares, they chose the so-called near-field communications technology. The high cost of rolling out NFC payments, convenient ATMs and a culture where lost wallets are often returned have all been cited as reasons why cash remains king in the archipelago. In China, however, QR codes dominate.
Cashless payments, which includes credit cards, accounted for just 20 per cent of total consumer spending in Japan during 2016, compared with 60 per cent in China and 89 per cent in South Korea, according to a report by the Bank of Japan.
Specs
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Fuel economy, combined: 11.3L / 100km
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