Yahoo News Archaeologists in Egypt discover 20 ancient coffins near Luxor
Archaeologists have found at least 20 ancient wooden coffins in the southern Egyptian city of Luxor.
The Egypt Antiquities Ministry described the discovery as one of the “biggest and most important” discoveries in recent years.
The ministry shared pictures of the collection of coloured coffins with inscriptions and paintings and said it plans to release more details at a news conference on Saturday.
The Al-Asasif Cachette. Intact and sealed coffins. More details to be announced on Saturday..Keep tuned #luxor #egypt #egyptology #historyofegypt #aasif #cachette #discovery #Archaeology pic.twitter.com/4CRcpfgrvf
— Ministry of Antiquities-Arab Republic of Egypt (@AntiquitiesOf) October 15, 2019
In a brief statement, the ministry said the coffins were found in the Asasif Necropolis in the ancient town of West Thebes.
The necropolis includes tombs dating back to the Middle, New Kingdom and the Late Periods (1994BC to 332BC).
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The discovery is the latest in several in recent weeks and comes less than a week after Egyptian authorities published details of an ancient "industrial area" in the Luxor area.
It is hoped that the discoveries could help revive Egypt's tourism sector, which was badly hit following the uprising in 2011 and a spate of terror attacks.
