More than 100 ancient Egyptian tombs discovered in the Nile Delta

Egyptian archaeologists unearthed 110 tombs at an ancient site in a Nile Delta province, the Tourism and Antiquities Ministry said on Tuesday.

The graves, some of which contain human remains, were found at the Koum El Khulgan archaeological site in Dakahlia province, about 150 kilometres north-east of Cairo, the ministry said.

They include 68 oval-shaped tombs dating from the Predynastic Period that stretched from 6000BC to 3150BC, the ministry said.

The secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Dr Mustafa Waziri, said the new discoveries were an important historical and archaeological addition to the area. The 68 tombs contain people buried in a squatting position, many of whom are lying on their left sides with their heads pointing west.

There are also 37 rectangular-shaped tombs from an ancient era known as the Second Intermediate Period, when the Semitic people of Hyksos ruled ancient Egypt, the ministry said. The Supreme Council of Antiquities said these 37 tombs differed in character and in how the people were buried. In these tombs, all those buried are in an extended position with the heads pointing west and face upwards.

The remaining five oval-shaped tombs date to the Naqada III period from about 3200-3000BC.

Archaeologists found human remains of adults and children and funerary equipment and pottery objects in these tombs, the ministry said.

The discovery is the latest in a series of archaeological finds in recent years for which Egypt has sought publicity in the hopes of reviving its tourism sector.

Tourism has been badly hurt by the turmoil since a 2011 uprising and now the coronavirus pandemic.