Temples, Tombs, and Coffins: The New Discoveries of Saqqara, Ancient Capital of Egypt

A funerary temple, 52 tombs, and hundreds of coffins are some of the recent findings at Saqqara, an archaeological site that once served as the main necropolis of Memphis, the capital of ancient Egypt. The significance of these discoveries is extraordinary, as according to their discoverers, "they are going to rewrite the history of the region."

The Saqqara site is located 30 kilometers from Cairo, next to the pyramid of Pharaoh Teti, the first king of the Sixth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom. The principal discovery has been a new chamber of the funerary temple of his wife, Queen Nearit. Attached to this structure, three storage rooms used for keeping provisions, offerings, and tools have also been found.

Additionally, the finding of 52 tombs in shafts ranging from ten to twelve meters deep stands out. Inside them, hundreds of coffins dating from the New Kingdom, which are around 3,000 years old, have been discovered. These coffins were made of wood and had the classic anthropoid appearance, with their surfaces decorated with scenes of the gods worshipped during that period as well as excerpts from the Book of the Dead to aid the deceased in their journey through the afterlife.

This discovery has confirmed the existence of many workshops in the area that produced these coffins, as well as mummification workshops. Furthermore, within the shafts, a significant number of archaeological pieces have been uncovered, including statues of deities such as the god Osiris and Ptah-Soker-Osiris, funerary masks, and a four-meter-long and one-meter-wide papyrus containing writings from the Book of the Dead.

Moreover, during the excavation, a luxurious sanctuary reaching a depth of 24 meters was found, although the team is still working in this shaft to locate the burial chamber it is connected to.

The exploration mission has been led by the renowned archaeologist Zahi Hawass, who has stated that these discoveries "will rewrite the history of Saqqara during the New Kingdom," and he hopes that the area will become an important cultural and tourist destination.