Huge archaeological find in Egypt includes 50 mummies and a temple

Famed archaeologist Zahi Hawass says the discoveries 'rewrite the history' of Saqqara

A trove of ancient coffins and artefacts on display that Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass and his team unearthed in a vast necropolis, in Saqqara, south of Cairo. AP

Egyptian archaeologists announced a major find on Sunday, including a funerary temple, more than 50 wooden sarcophagi and a five-metre papyrus depicting a chapter of the ancient Egyptian Book of the dead.

Egypt's world-famous archaeologist Zahi Hawass announced the new finds at Saqqara, the vast necropolis of the ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis, a Unesco World Heritage Site.

"Every day, the sands of Saqqara reveal more information that helps us write the history of Egypt," Mr Hawass told The National in Saqqara.

He said the temple belonged to Queen Naert, wife of King Teti, the first pharaoh of the sixth dynasty that ruled during the New Kingdom period (16th century-11th century BC). The Queen was only identified on Saturday, when archaeologists found her name engraved on a temple wall, he said.

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  A coffin, part of a recent discovery from the Saqqara necropolis, is seen south of Cairo, Egypt. Reuters

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  Ancient skull and bones are on display that Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass and his team unearthed in a vast necropolis filled with burial shafts, coffins and mummies dating back to the New Kingdom 3000 BC in Saqqara, south of Cairo, Egypt. AP

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  A view shows the site of a recent discovery at the Saqqara necropolis south of Cairo, Egypt. Reuters

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  An archaeologist brushes ancient skulls for the media on display that Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass and his team unearthed in a vast necropolis filled with burial shafts, coffins and mummies dating back to the New Kingdom 3000 BC in Saqqara, south of Cairo, Egypt. AP

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  Artifacts, part of a recent discovery from the Saqqara necropolis, are seen south of Cairo, Egypt. REUTERS

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  Men work at the site of a recent discovery at the Saqqara necropolis south of Cairo, Egypt. Reuters

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  A woman walks at the site of a recent discovery at the Saqqara necropolis south of Cairo, Egypt. Reuters

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  Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass stands at the excavation site of the funerary temple of Queen Nearit, the wife of King Teti, where he and his team unearthed a vast necropolis filled with burial shafts, coffins and mummies dating back to the New Kingdom 3000 BC in Saqqara, south of Cairo, Egypt. AP

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  Pottery on display near the funerary site of the temple of Queen Nearit, the wife of King Teti, where Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass and his team unearthed in a vast necropolis filled with burial shafts, coffins and mummies dating back to the New Kingdom 3000 BC in Saqqara, south of Cairo, Egypt. AP

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  A trove of ancient artefacts is on display that Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass and his team unearthed in a vast necropolis filled with burial shafts, coffins and mummies dating back to the New Kingdom 3000 BC in Saqqara, south of Cairo, Egypt. AP

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  An ancient mummy is on display that Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass and his team unearthed in a vast necropolis filled with burial shafts, coffins and mummies dating back to the New Kingdom 3000 BC in Saqqara, south of Cairo, Egypt. AP

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  Workers rest near a trove of ancient artifacts on display that Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass and his team unearthed in a vast necropolis filled with burial shafts, coffins and mummies dating back to the New Kingdom 3000 BC in Saqqara, south of Cairo, Egypt. AP

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  Workers at the newly discovered funerary temple of Queen Nearit, the wife of King Teti in the Saqqara archaeological site next to the Pyramid of King Teti in Giza, Egypt. EPA

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  Archeologists work at the excavation site of the funerary temple of Queen Nearit, the wife of King Tetiwhere, led by Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass, and his team unearthed in a vast necropolis, in Saqqara, south of Cairo, Egypt. AP

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  A trove of ancient artifacts on display that Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass and his team unearthed in a vast necropolis, in Saqqara, south of Cairo, Egypt. AP

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  A trove of ancient skulls are on display that Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass and his team unearthed in a vast necropolis, in Saqqara, south of Cairo, Egypt. AP

The discoveries were made during a joint excavation by Bibliotheque Alexandria's Zahi Hawas Institute and the Ministry of Antiquities. A wealthy French family financed the dig, according to Essam Sheehab, a senior archaeologist who worked on it since excavations began in September.

"The most important discovery, in my opinion, is the temple," said Mr Hawass, who has for decades been the global face of Egyptology with his hallmark Indiana Jones hat and passionate stories of discoveries in the country.

“Beside this temple we found the storage area, where tools that they used for the rituals inside the temple were kept,” he told reporters.

He said 22 burial shafts were discovered during excavations.

Fifty-two wooden coffins dating back to the New Kingdom were found in the shafts. "They are decorated with many scenes depicting gods worshipped during that time," he said.

The team discovered statues, toys, wooden boats and funerary masks. A papyrus depicted a chapter of the Book of the Dead, a collection of mortuary texts of spells that ancient Egyptians believed would guide the soul of the deceased in the afterlife. It was first used in the New Kingdom.

The latest trove to be found in Saqqara, home to the famed Stepped Pyramid and other notable finds, came two months after Egyptian archaeologists announced the discovery of more than 100 sealed wooden sarcophagi dating back around 2,500 years in the same area. It was the largest find of 2020.

A statement by the Ministry of Antiquities released on Saturday said the latest discovery could shed new light on the history of Saqqara during the New Kingdom.

Egypt hopes archaeological discoveries and the media attention that surround them will spur tourism, a sector devastated by years of turmoil that followed a 2011 uprising and more recently by the coronavirus pandemic.