Archaeologists were pleasantly surprised to find that what appeared to be false doors at an excavation site in Egypt actually led to the tomb of royal figures.
Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Antiquities made the announcement in a recent April Facebook update.
This tomb was uncovered at the Saqqara Archaeological Site located in the Giza Governorate.
It belonged to a prince named “Userefre,” or “Waser ef Ra,” who was the son of King Userkaf.
Userkaf was the founder of the Fifth Dynasty, which lasted from the early 25th century BC to the mid-24th century BC.
A post revealed that the door was decorated with hieroglyphics that included the prince’s name and title.
Described in the announcement, he held several positions—like “a genetic prince, a local governor, and nekev of Butto,” alongside roles such as royal scribe and judge.
Inside the tomb, archaeologists uncovered statues representing his wife and ten daughters, in addition to a red granite table chronicling funerary details.
Also found was a large black granite statue and the entrance to another tomb, which was constructed from pink granite.
A translated Facebook update stated that among the discoveries were 13 pink granite statues positioned on a high-backed bench, with one figure’s head elevated compared to the others, depicting the wife of the tomb’s owner in the center, flanked by two headless statues and another black granite statue standing about 1.35 meters tall.
Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Sherif Fati, expressed excitement over the find, noting it would shed light on new aspects of this significant period in ancient Egyptian history.
This recent discovery adds to a series of ancient Egyptian finds made this year. Just last month, archaeologists revealed a 3,000-year-old mining complex filled with ancient residences and workshops.
In a particularly notable achievement, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania uncovered the long-lost tomb of an unidentified Egyptian pharaoh.
