Seven ancient Egyptian tombs have been opened on Monday in South Saqqara, in a bid to boost Egypt’ suffering tourism industry.
Dating to the New Kingdom, a period that lasted from the 16th century to 11th century B.C., the tombs are located near Djoser's Step Pyramid, about 19 miles south of Cairo.
They include the final resting place of several King Tut’s high officials, such as his treasurer Maya, his butler Ptahemwia and his general Horemheb, who later became King.
Most of the burials were first discovered in 1843 by Richard Lepsius, but none were fully explored until the 1970s.
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Still unfinished, the tomb of King Tutankhamen treasurer, Maya, features a mudbrick pylon with spectacular relief fragments, and courtyard images of Maya and his wife Merit, who was also buried in the tomb, receiving offerings.
Maya was a key figure during King Tut’s reign, as he was responsible for restoring order in a country that had previously been upset by Akhenaton’s radical changes.
Akhenaton, King Tut’s father, is indeed known as the "heretic" pharaoh who established the capital of his kingdom in Amarna, introducing a monotheistic religion for the sun god Aten that overthrew the pantheon of the gods.
"While Maya restored order in Egypt, his colleague Horemheb restored order abroad," Zahi Hawass, the minister of state for antiquities, said.
Horemheb, King Tut’s general, began building his tomb in Saqqara while he was one of the most important men in Egypt. After the death of King Tut and his immediate successor, Ay, Horemheb became king of Egypt and left his tomb at Saqqara in favor of a more prestigious location in the Valley of the Kings.
The burial in Saqqara, which is the largest in the New Kingdom cemetery, was then used for his wife Mutnodjmet.
Decorated in the Amarna style art, the tomb reveal fascinating details.
"Visitors can see that the ureaus, or headdress of the king, was added to depictions of Horemheb after the original reliefs were made to show that he had become King. There are also depictions of Horemheb worshiping Maat, Re-hor-akhty and Thoth as well as scenes celebrating his military victories," Hawass said in a statement.
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Another interesting tomb is that of Ptahemwia, who was the royal butler to both Akhenaten and King Tut.
The "Royal Butler, One of Clean Hands," Ptahemwia, was responsible for brining the king food and drink.
His limestone-and-mudbrick tomb contains the prestigious title of "Beloved of the King" and three chapels. In one of them, the archaeologists found 56 coffins from the New Kingdom, most containing the bodies of children affected lby disease.
The four other tombs now open to the public include the burial of Tia, the tomb of Meryneith and tombs of Pay and Raia.
One of the top officials under Ramsess II, Tia married one of the pharaoh’sisters.
"His tomb was also used as a mortuary temple to the god Osiris," Hawass said.
Indeed, it contains depictions of Tia and his wife making a pilgrimage to Abydos, the cult center of Osiris.
Another tomb, built of mud-brick encased in limestone blocks, belonged to Meryneith, the steward and scribe of the temple of Aten during the reign of Akhenaten.
After the king’s death Meryneith became the High Priest of Aten and the temple of the god, Neith. The tomb features three chapels for the offering cult of Meryneith.
The central one shows a scene of metal workers and the bases of two small columns.
"A mud-brick pyramid may have originally stood here," said Hawass.
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The last tombs to be inaugurated were those belonging to Pay, the overseer of the harem under King Tut, and his son, Raia, a soldier who took over as harem overseer after his father's death.
Pay’s tomb consists of a chapel that opens to a pillared courtyard with three offering chapels. Raia added a courtyard, two stelae and renovated the tomb before he died.
"The two stelae were brought to Berlin when Richard Lepsius discovered them in 1928," Hawass said.
He added that the ministry is currently in the process of developing a management plan for the Saqqara site.
"It is hoped that this will enhance the value of the site as a visitor destination," Hawass said.
Egypt’s tourism was deeply hurt by the political turmoil which ousted president Hosni Mubarak.
According to the minister of tourism, the country lost around two billion U.S. dollars in tourism revenues in the first quarter of 2011.
Photo: Carvings in the tomb of Horemheb. Courtesy Minister of State for Antiquities, Egypt.
Tags: Ancient Civilizations, Ancient Egypt, Archaeology, Middle East, Near East and Middle East Archaeology
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