Mummies discovered in ancient tomb near Egypt's Luxor

Egyptian archaeologists have unearthed several mummies, colourful wooden sarcophagi and more than 1,000 funerary statues in a 3,500-year-old tomb near the city of Luxor, hailing an "important discovery".

Members of an Egyptian archaeological team work on a wooden coffin discovered in a 3,500-year-old tomb 
in the Draa Abul Nagaa necropolis, near the southern Egyptian city of Luxor [Credit: AFP/Stringer]

The 18th Dynasty tomb containing at least eight mummies was discovered in the Draa Abul Nagaa necropolis near the famed Valley of the Kings, the antiquities ministry said in a Tuesday statement.

It belonged to a nobleman named Userhat who worked as the city judge. It was opened to add more mummies during the 21st Dynasty, about 3,000 years ago, to protect them during a period when tomb-robbing was common, Mostafa Waziri, the head of the archaeological mission, said at the site.

"It was a surprise how much was being displayed inside," Antiquities Minister Khaled el-Enany told reporters outside the tomb.

"We found a large number of Ushabti (small carved figurines), more than 1,000 of them," Enany said.

"This is an important discovery."

Members of an Egyptian archaeological team stand near artifacts, known as Ushabtis, discovered in a 3,500-year-old tomb 
in the Draa Abul Nagaa necropolis, near the southern city of Luxor [Credit: AFP/Stringer]

Ushabti figurines were often placed with the deceased in ancient Egyptian tombs to help with responsibilities in the afterlife.

Antiquities officials had initially said six mummies along with partial remains were discovered near the southern city, but said they had later identified two more mummies.

"There are 10 coffins and eight mummies. The excavation is ongoing," Waziri said.

Inside the tomb, archaeologists wearing white masks and latex gloves inspected the sarcophagi, which were covered with intricate drawings in red, blue, black, green, and yellow, and featured the carved faces of the dead.

The coffins were mainly well-preserved, though some had deteriorated and broken over the years.

Archaeologists were also examining a mummy wrapped in linen which was inside one of the coffins.

A member of an Egyptian archaeological team shows artifacts discovered in a 3,500-year-old tomb
 in the Draa Abul Nagaa necropolis, near the southern city of Luxor [Credit: AFP/Stringer]

White, orange, green, and patterned pots were also found in the tombs.

The necropolis is located across the Nile from Luxor, on the west bank, where many of the famous ancient Egyptian pharaohs were buried, including Tutankhamun.

The age of the tomb was determined "through the drawings on the ceiling," said Waziri.

"It is a T-shaped tomb (which) consists of an open court leading into a rectangular hall, a corridor and an inner chamber," the ministry said in a statement.