Egyptian Antiquities Ministry unveils 30 well-preserved colorful wooden coffins that are about 3,000 years old, discovered in Luxor, Egypt, on Oct. 19, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Binian)
Renowned Egyptian Egyptologist Zahi Hawass said he is so proud that this collection of ancient coffins was discovered by Egyptian archeologists, instead of foreigners, for the first time.
LUXOR, Egypt, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian Antiquities Ministry on Saturday unveiled 30 newly-discovered well-preserved ancient coffins with mummies in Upper Egypt's Luxor.
"We have very famous cachettes in Luxor. Today, my colleagues in the ministry are adding a new cachette," Egyptian Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anany told Xinhua on the site in al-Assassif necropolis.
He said the cachette includes a collection of 30 colorful wooden sarcophaguses, noting that the coffins are in a good condition of preservation.
"The coffins were not inside a tomb. They were buried under the cliff of al-Assassif mountain," al-Anany said.
A close look at one of the 30 ancient wooden coffins unveiled in Luxor, Egypt on Oct. 19, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Binian)
The minister said the coffins were found stacked in two layers in al-Assassif necropolis on the west bank of Luxor.
"It is an important discovery and the excavation works did not end yet," the minister said, adding that the coffins will be moved to the Grand Egyptian Museum which will open its doors by the end of 2020.
Meanwhile, Secretary General of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities Mostafa Waziri said that the coffins date back to the 22nd Dynasty of the 10th century B.C.
Waziri said it is the first large human sarcophagus cachette to be fully discovered since the end of the 19th century.
The inscriptions on the sides of the coffins represent various subjects, including offerings and scenes of different gods, as well as scenes from the Book of the Dead, he said.
A well-preserved mummy is shown lying inside one of 30 ancient wooden coffins unveiled in Luxor, Egypt on Oct. 19, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Binian)
"This cachette comes today as a witness to a period of historical instability during which the theft of tombs spread notably," he said.
Renowned Egyptian Egyptologist Zahi Hawass said he is "so proud that this cachette was discovered by Egyptian archeologists because the other ones were unearthed by foreigners."
He added that the coffins were all made in the same workshop about 3,000 years ago, stressing that this discovery "will capture the hearts of peoples all over the world."
"This discovery will enrich our knowledge as Egyptologists about the belief of afterlife and the workshops that made all these beautiful scenes," he told Xinhua.
As one of the most ancient civilizations, Egypt has been working hard to preserve its rich archaeological heritages. ■
