Dozens of family tombs containing mummies and artefacts have been discovered near the city of Aswan in southern Egypt.
An Egyptian-Italian archaeological mission unearthed 33 tombs while working near the Aga Khan Mausoleum west of Aswan, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced on Sunday.
The tombs date from the Late Period of Ancient Egypt (664-332BC), the Ptolemaic period when the country was ruled by a Greek-speaking dynasty (305-30BC), and the Roman period (30BC-641AD).
The tombs, some of which still contain mummified remains and funerary objects, are expected to provide new insight into the history of the Aga Khan area and diseases that afflicted its ancient inhabitants.
"This discovery adds new history to the Aga Khan area," said Dr Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.
Dr Ayman Ashmawy, Head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector at the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said preliminary studies on the mummified remains suggest 30 per cent to 40 per cent of those buried in the tombs died young, ranging from newborns to adolescents.
The tombs vary in architectural design, with some featuring vaulted entrances preceded by open courtyards surrounded by mud-brick walls while others are carved directly into the mountain rock.
Among the discoveries within the tombs are several mummies, including those of an adult, possibly a woman, and a child who may have died between the ages of one and two. The two bodies were found still adjoined inside a stone sarcophagus, a mystery the mission plans to investigate further.
Other finds include remnants of coloured cartonnage, clay and stone figurines, wooden coffins and offering tables.
Dr Abdel Moneim Saeed, General Supervisor of Aswan and Nubia Antiquities and director of the Egyptian side of the mission, suggested the middle class of Aswan Island's inhabitants were buried in this part of the necropolis, while the upper part was designated for the upper class.
Advanced technology, including X-ray analysis, has been used to study the discovered mummies, revealing details about their facial features, sex, age at death and the presence of organic diseases.
Dr Patrizia Piacentini, professor of Egyptology at the University of Milan and director of the Italian side of the mission, noted that preliminary studies on the mummies indicated some suffered from infectious diseases, bone disorders, anaemia, malnutrition, chest disease, tuberculosis and osteoporosis.
Some were found to have died at an advanced age with severe bone disease.
The mission is expected to continue its work at the site, aiming to discover more about the ancient inhabitants of the area.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Zayed Sustainability Prize
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
Tips for used car buyers
- Choose cars with GCC specifications
- Get a service history for cars less than five years old
- Don’t go cheap on the inspection
- Check for oil leaks
- Do a Google search on the standard problems for your car model
- Do your due diligence. Get a transfer of ownership done at an official RTA centre
- Check the vehicle’s condition. You don’t want to buy a car that’s a good deal but ends up costing you Dh10,000 in repairs every month
- Validate warranty and service contracts with the relevant agency and and make sure they are valid when ownership is transferred
- If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell
Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
