SAQQARA, Egypt (AP) – Egypt on Tuesday unveiled an ancient tomb structure that belonged to King Djoser’s cemetery complex, a pharaoh who lived more than 4,500 years ago, after extensive site restorations.
The structure, known as the south tomb, is largely underground and includes a maze of corridors, decorated with hieroglyphic carvings and tiles. A central funerary axis houses a huge granite-clad sarcophagus from the Third Dynasty of Egypt.
However, Pharaoh was not buried there, but in the famous pyramid of the nearby pass. The two structures are part of the Saqqara complex, near Cairo, one of the richest archaeological sites in the country. The step pyramid is the oldest known pyramid and one of the earliest examples of monumental architecture in the ancient world, according to UNESCO. It is believed to have been the inspiration for the pyramids of Giza.
Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities and Tourism said this week’s opening of the tomb’s structure marked the completion of restoration work that began in 2006 and included the strengthening of the underground corridors. , the reform of the sizes and the walls of tiles and the installation of lighting. Starting Tuesday, the tomb was opened to the public.
In addition to the southern tomb, the Saqqara Plateau is home to at least 11 pyramids, including the Passage Pyramid, as well as hundreds of tombs of ancient officers and other sites dating back to the 1st Dynasty (2920 BC-2770 BC). ) until the Coptic period. (395-642).
Saqqara site is part of the necropolis of the ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis, which includes the famous Pyramids of Giza, as well as smaller pyramids at Abu Sir, Dahshur and Abu Ruwaysh. The ruins of Memphis were designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in the 1970s.
The famous pyramid of the pass, is seen near the southern cemetery of King Djoser, after its restoration, in Saqqara, south of Cairo, Egypt, on September 14, 2021. (Photo AP / Nariman El-Mofty)
Egypt has unveiled a number of recent archaeological finds over the past year in an effort to revive its key tourism sector, which was hit hard by the turmoil that followed the 2011 uprising. The global coronavirus pandemic received also again in the sector.
An archaeologist takes photos of inscriptions on the wall of King Djoser’s southern cemetery, after its restoration, near the famous Step Pyramid in Saqqara, south of Cairo, Egypt, on September 14, 2021. (Photo AP / Nariman El-Mofty)