Important archaeological discoveries dating back to the Old, New and Late Periods
1- Exposing the funerary temple of Queen Nerat, the wife of King Tati
2- Discovery of burial wells, coffins and mummies dating back to the New Kingdom 3000 BC
3- Discovery of a 4-meter-long papyrus containing the texts of Chapter 17 of the Book of the Dead
4- Exposing statues, paintings, boats and wooden masks dating back to the modern state.
Dr. Mustafa Waziri, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, stated that the joint Egyptian mission between the Supreme Council of Antiquities and the Zahi Hawass Center for Egyptology at the Library of Alexandria, which operates in the Saqqara antiquities area next to the pyramid of King Tati, the first king of the Sixth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom, reported important archaeological discoveries dating back to the Old Kingdom And modern and late eras.
Dr. Zahi Hawass, an Egyptian archaeologist and head of the mission, said that these discoveries will rewrite the history of this region, especially during the 18th and 19th dynasties of the modern state, during which time King Tati was worshiped and the burial was at that time around his pyramid.
Dr. Mostafa El-Feki, Director of the Library of Alexandria, said that the Zahi Hawass Center for Egyptology in the Library has been operating successfully since its establishment in 2018 until now, and today the director of the library is pleased to participate in the ceremony announcing the archaeological discovery in the Saqqara region. The library feels that its affiliation with this work is something that it is proud and proud of, and that what happened is the beginning of the series of archaeological discoveries that the Zahi Hawass Center for Egyptology is practicing in cooperation with the Supreme Council of Antiquities. These discoveries are dedicated to the world to know the history of the ancient Egyptian civilization.
Dr. Hawass stated that the mission found the funerary temple of the Queen Naraat, the wife of King Tati, part of which was uncovered in the years prior to the mission, indicating that the mission also found the layout of the temple, in addition to three mud-brick warehouses in the southeastern side of it. To store offerings and tools that were used to revive the Queen's creed. In addition, 52 wells were found, ranging in depth from 10 to 12 meters, inside which were more than 50 wooden coffins from the New Kingdom era. This is the first time in Saqqara area that coffins dating back three thousand years have been found. These coffins have a human form and are represented on their surface many scenes of the gods who were worshiped during this period in addition to various parts of the texts of the Book of the Dead that help the deceased to pass His journey to the other world.
The mission found inside the wells large numbers of archaeological artifacts and statues in the form of deities such as the god Ozer, Ptah, Sukkar, and Oazir, in addition to a unique discovery, where the mission found a papyrus up to four meters long and one meter wide, representing Chapter Seven Ten of the Book of the Dead, and the name of its owner is recorded on it (Bu-Khaa-Af). The same name was found on four statues of Shabati. A wooden coffin was also found on the human body of the same person, in addition to many shabty statues made of wood and faience from the New Kingdom era.
This is in addition to a set of wooden masks, as well as the shrine of the god Anubis, the god of cemetery, and statues in good condition were found for him, as well as many games that the deceased used to play in the other world, such as the game (Cent), which is similar to chess currently, as well as the twenty game with the name of the person recorded He was playing it out.
Also found were many artifacts representing birds such as goose, a bronze ax indicating that its owner was one of the leaders of the army in the New Kingdom era, and many paintings inscribed with scenes of the deceased and his wife and hieroglyphic writings. One of the most beautiful is a limestone panel in good preservation, on which is depicted a scene of a deceased named Khu-Ptah and his wife named Mut-am-wya. The upper row of the painting depicts the deceased and his wife in a devotional position in front of the god Osir, and the lower row depicts the deceased sitting with his wife behind him, and under the wife's chair one of their daughters seated close to her nose a lotus flower and decorate her head with a fragrant funnel.
In front of the spouses there are six sons in two rows, where we find the top row in which three of their daughters are sitting on the ground, holding the lotus flower close to their noses and covering their heads with perfume tips. In the bottom row, three male sons are standing in front of the deceased and his wife.
Dr. Hawass that it is striking that one of the daughters bears the name (Nefertari), she was named after the beloved wife of King Ramses II, and he bore the name of one of the sons (Kha-am-Wast), which is the name of one of the sons of King Ramses II and is considered a wise man of the age and is called the first scholar. As for the titles of the owner of the painting, he was the superintendent of the king's war wheel, which indicates his important position in the family of 19. Impressive quantities of pottery dating back to the New Kingdom, including pottery establishing trade relations between Egypt and Crete, as well as Syria and Palestine, were also found.
Dr. Hawass explained that this discovery confirms that the Saqqara antiquities area was not used for burial during the late era only, but also in the modern state, and he also proved the existence of many workshops that produce these coffins that were purchased through the people, as well as mummification workshops.
The mission studied the mummy of a woman, whose owner was found to be suffering from a disease known as "Mediterranean fever" or "swine fever", a disease that comes from direct contact with the animal and leads to a liver abscess, which is a chronic disease for life.
Dr. Sahar Selim, a professor of radiology at Qasr al-Aini, made the necessary studies on the mummies discovered, including a mummy of a child. Studies have determined the causes of death and the age of the deceased at the time of death.
Dr. Hawass indicated that the mission uncovered a huge mud brick cabin dating back to the era of the modern state, with a well up to 24 meters deep so far, and we have not yet reached its end, and it is expected to end with a burial chamber. The floors of that cabin were paved with blocks of tiles
The polished limestone was well polished, and the top of the wellbore was covered with stones. The work is still in progress and Dr. Zahi Hawass stated that this well was not reached by thieves, and it will be fully disclosed.
And Dr. Hawass asserted that this discovery is considered one of the most important archaeological discoveries for this year and will make Saqqara, along with other discoveries, an important tourist and cultural destination, and will rewrite the history of Saqqara in the era of the modern state in addition to confirming the importance of the worship of King Titi during the 19th family of the modern state.
