The coffins were so well preserved that the original design and pain were still clearly visible. (Twitter/KhaledElEnany6)Archeologists in Egypt have unearthed 13 coffins believed to contain the remains of human mummies that were buried more than 2,500 years ago. The coffins, intricately painted and previously unopened were discovered in a burial well at the ancient site of Saqqara, located 20 miles south of Cairo, CNN reported.
According to a Facebook post shared by Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the coffins were stacked one on top of the other and were buried nearly 40 feet beneath the ground. The coffins were so well preserved that the original design and pain were still clearly visible.
The coffins were discovered just as the Egyptian government reopened museums and archaeological sites, which were closed following the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
“[It’s] an indescribable feeling when you witness a new archeological discovery,” Khaled Al-Anani, Minister of Antiquities and Tourism said in a tweet earlier this week before the discovery was made public.
شعور لا يقارن كلما تشهد كشف اثري جديد،
انتظروا الاعلان عن كشف اثري جديد بسقارة، شكرا لزملائي بالوزارة.
An indescribable feeling when you witness a new archeological discovery.
Stay tuned for the announcement of a new discovery in Saqqara
Thank you to my colleagues in the ministry pic.twitter.com/RpgK6TmREo— Khaled El-Enany (@KhaledElEnany6) September 6, 2020
Earlier in April, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities had announced another discovery of four wooden coffins containing human mummies. They were found, along with five limestone sarcophagi inside a nine-meter deep underground burial shaft in Saqqara.
Several small artifacts, including figurines and a small wooden obelisk painted with traditional Egyptian scenes, were also recovered. Archaeologists are expected to make a number of new discoveries at the site in the following weeks, CNN reported.