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CAIRO — Egypt on Monday showcased a treasure trove of antiquities dating back 2,500 years, which the country’s antiquities authorities say has been recently unearthed in the famous Saqqara necropolis near Cairo.
The artifacts are displayed in a makeshift exhibition at the foot of the Djoser Step Pyramid in Saqqara, 24 kilometers (15 miles) southwest of the Egyptian capital.
According to Mostafa Waziri, head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, the find includes 250 painted sarcophagi containing well-preserved mummies, as well as 150 bronze statues of ancient gods and bronze vessels used in the rituals of the ancient fertility goddess Isis. Egyptian mythology, all Late Period, around 500 BC
A headless bronze statue of Imhotep, chief architect of Pharaoh Djoser, who ruled Egypt between 2630 and 2611, is also on display.
The artifacts will be transferred for permanent exhibition at the new Great Egyptian Museum, a mega-project currently under construction near the famous Pyramids of Giza just outside of Cairo.
The Saqqara site is part of a sprawling necropolis in Egypt’s ancient capital, Memphis, that includes the Pyramids of Giza and smaller pyramids at Abu Sir, Dahshur, and Abu Ruwaysh. The Memphis ruins were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in the 1970s.
PHOTOS: Egypt showcases newly discovered treasury of ancient artifacts
Egypt is heavily promoting the latest archaeological finds, hoping to attract more tourists to the country. The tourism industry, a major source of foreign currency, has suffered years of political turmoil and violence following the 2011 uprising that ousted autocrat Hosni Mubarak.
The industry has recently started to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, but has been hit again by the effects of Russia’s war on Ukraine. Along with Russia, Ukraine is a major source of tourists visiting Egypt.
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