Egypt announces a new archaeological discovery in Minya... coffins and historical artifacts found
Ahmed Issa, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, announces that Dr. Mustafa Waziri, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, announced a new archaeological discovery in Minya Governorate.
Sources confirmed that the archaeological discovery, which will be announced today, Sunday, October 15, in the city of Ghuraifa in Minya, consists of a cemetery containing a number of coffins and various archaeological collectibles.“Al-Ghuraifah” is an archaeological area located in the desert, 25 kilometers west of the city of Malawi, and about 75 kilometers south of the city of Minya.
It is one of the historical archaeological areas located south of Minya. It is surrounded by several archaeological areas, including Tuna al-Jabal and Ashmunin on the western mainland, and Tell el-Amarna and Beni Hassan on the western mainland, in addition to the archaeological areas in southern Minya.
The area was discovered in 1925, by a person called “Al-Hakim,” who handed over a coffin that was found during excavations to the mayor of the village of Tuna al-Jabal, adjacent to the area.
The area has been subjected to thefts in the past, and in late 2017 the Egyptian archaeological mission began searching for the missing part of the cemetery of the 15th region of Upper Egypt, where an archaeological cemetery of family tombs was found that includes a group of burial wells, dating back to the end of the Pharaonic times and the beginning of the Ptolemaic era. It was announced in February 2018.
35 tombs, 90 sarcophagi, and 10,000 statues
During previous seasons, 35 tombs, 90 coffins, 10,000 ushabti statues, and 700 amulets of various shapes, sizes, and materials were found in the archaeological area of Al-Ghuraifah during previous seasons, including scarabs of the engraved heart, amulets of the gods, pillars of the grandfather, the symbol of the god Osiris, and amulets made of pure gold, especially an amulet in the form of a sign.
The winged ba, the Eye of Ujat amulet, an amulet in the shape of a winged cobra, 8 canopy sets of different shapes and sizes, 5 wooden coffins in excellent condition, and some mummies.
It is noteworthy that the archaeological area of Al-Gharifa includes family tombs belonging to the priests of the god Djahut, who is the main deity of the fifteenth region, and its capital is Al-Ashmunin, and another large family cemetery that includes a number of huge coffins, of various shapes and sizes, containing a large quantity of well-made, large-sized Ushabti statues.
It bears the names and titles of its owners, and they also bear the titles of priests, in addition to a group of funerary artifacts, which reflect the status and status of the cemetery’s owners, and the level of sophistication and prosperity that art reached in that period, stressing that excavation operations will continue over the coming years.
Al-Ghuraifah is a rugged area, full of poisonous snakes. Despite this, archaeological teams are working to uncover what is new inside that area and its status among the people, as some bless its sand by rolling it for recovery and childbirth.
The Al-Ghuraifa area in Minya Governorate is famous for its archaeological discoveries and treasures, most notably the discovery of 35 tombs, 90 coffins, and 10,000 statues, in addition to the presence of the tombs of the priests of the god Dahut.
The Al-Ghuraifa area was discovered in 1925 and during the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, in addition to an archaeological cemetery containing family graves that includes a group of burial wells, dating back to the end of the Pharaonic era and the beginning of the Ptolemaic era.