10 tombs of old, middle, new kingdoms unearthed in Aswan

CAIRO – 2 June 2017: The head of the Egyptian Antiquities Department, Mahmoud Afifi, announced Friday that 10 tombs dating back to the late Pharaonic era were discovered at a site near the tomb of Aga Khan West of Aswan.


This discovery comes during excavations carried out by an Egyptian archaeological mission from the Ministry of Antiquities. Nasr Salama, director of Aswan and Nubia monuments pointed out that this discovery is important due to the fact that these tombs are an extension of the western Aswan cemetery.

It was discovered early last century and consists of a number of tombs belonging to the most important rulers of Aswan during the era of the old, middle and new kingdoms.

Salama explained that the discovered tombs are similar in their architectural design. They consist of staircases carved in rock leading to the entrance of the cemetery and from it to simple rooms where a number of coffins and mummies were found.

Salama said that the 10 tombs will be restored by the Egyptian archaeological mission next September due to the high temperature at the site now.

Salama recounted that the restoration work will be conducted after analyzing what was discovered in the cemetery, and transfer archaeological artifacts and preserve them in Aswan Antiquities area.