Ancient stone and wooden tombs containing the mummified bodies of high priests and officials from 3,400 years ago have been unearthed in Egypt.
The cemetery includes coffins inscribed with the names of two women, while a papyrus depicting the Book of the Dead was also discovered along with various amulets and ornaments.
It was discovered in the Al-Ghuraifa area of the Tuna El-Gebel necropolis in Minya, 136 miles (220 kilometers) south of the country’s capital, Cairo.
The burial site dates back to the New Kingdom era, a period when Egypt became a world power between the 16th and 11th centuries BC.
This period of ancient Egyptian history covers the 18th Dynasty, 19th Dynasty, and 20th Dynasty from 1549 BC to 1069 BC.
Unearthed: Ancient stone and wooden tombs containing the mummified bodies of high priests and officials from 3,400 years ago have been discovered in Egypt.

Colorful: The cemetery includes wooden coffins inscribed with the names of two women.
Among the new finds was an engraved and colored wooden coffin of a daughter of a high priest of Djehuti, an ancient Egyptian god also known as Thoth.
He was the god of the moon, sacred texts, mathematics, science, magic, the messenger and recorder of the deities, and was often depicted as an ibis bird or a baboon.
The archaeologists also revealed that they had found a papyrus about 15 meters long and in good condition “as if it had been colored yesterday.”
It will now be displayed in the Grand Egyptian Museum.
The cemetery includes a large number of rock-cut tombs and hundreds of other archaeological finds, according to Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA).
“We have been searching for this New Kingdom cemetery for seven years and finally found it this excavation season,” said Mostafa Waziri, secretary general of the SCA.
The Al-Ghuraifa area in Minya, discovered in 1925, is famous for its archaeological discoveries, including 35 tombs, 90 coffins and 10,000 statues.
MailOnline has contacted the Ministry of Antiquities for more information about the latest find.
Egypt has revealed several important archaeological discoveries in recent years, most notably at the Saqqara necropolis, south of the capital Cairo.

Text: A papyrus featuring the Book of the Dead (pictured) was also discovered. It is about 50 feet (15 meters) long.

Tiny: Archaeologists recovered several amulets and ornaments from the burial site

The Al-Ghuraifa area in Minya, discovered in 1925, is famous for its archaeological discoveries, including 35 tombs, 90 coffins and 10,000 statues.

Among the new finds was an engraved and colored wooden coffin of a daughter of a high priest of Djehuti, an ancient Egyptian god also known as Thoth.
Last year, a pink granite sarcophagus of Ptah-em-wia, a high-ranking Egyptian noble who served as head of the treasury under Ramses the Great, was found in the necropolis.
Inscribed all over with emblems, hieroglyphs and titles, the up to 3,300-year-old stone coffin was found in perfect condition and in its original tomb 23 feet underground.
Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities also announced last year the discovery of mummies in the Qewaisna necropolis with golden tongues in their mouths.
It is believed that their actual tongues were removed during embalming and replaced with the golden object so that the deceased could speak with Osiris in the afterlife.
In Egyptian mythology, Osiris is the “Lord of the Underworld” and judge of the dead, and one of the most important gods of ancient Egypt.
However, possibly the biggest discovery of 2022 was an underground tunnel beneath the Taposiris Magna temple, which experts believe may lead to the lost tomb of Cleopatra, one of the most famous queens in history.

The cemetery includes a large number of rock-cut tombs and hundreds of other archaeological finds, according to Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA).

Sculptures and ornamental pieces dating from the New Kingdom era are discovered

These are just some of the artifacts that were discovered in the Minya cemetery, Egypt.

Carving: Archaeologists excavating the site at Minya also unearthed small figures

Where the cemetery is: Minya is 220 kilometers (136 miles) south of the country’s capital, Cairo.
Cleopatra was the last pharaoh of Egypt and ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, from 51 BC. C. until her death in 30 BC. C., at the age of only 39 years.
Famous for her seductive personality, she is believed to have been buried alongside her lover Mark Antony.
Experts believe that Cleopatra made plans for her and Antony to be buried in Taposiris Magna to imitate the ancient myth of Isis and Osiris.
According to myth, Osiris was cut into pieces that were scattered throughout Egypt before Isis could find all the pieces and resurrect him.
The recent discoveries have been a key component of Egypt’s attempts to revive its vital tourism industry, the crowning jewel of which is the long-delayed opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum at the foot of the pyramids.
The archaeological museum under construction in Giza will open its doors this year.