It was opened in Luxor in Southern Egypt and it is believed to house the remains of a priest who oversaw the mummification process and his wife
A WELL-PRESERVED mummy which was discovered inside an unopened coffin in a tomb was unveiled by Egyptian officials on Saturday.
It was opened in Luxor in Southern Egypt and it is believed to house the remains of a priest who oversaw the mummification process and his wife.
The tomb is located on the West Bank of the Nile and it belonged to Thaw-Rakht-If - the overseer of the mummification shrine at Mut temple.
The sarcophagus, is one of two ancient coffins which was discovered by a French-led mission earlier this month in the northern area of El-Asasef.
The first coffin had been opened and examined by Egyptian antiquities officials.
Minister of Antiquities Khaled Al Anani said: “One sarcophagus was rishi-style, which dates back to the 17th dynasty, while the other sarcophagus was from the 18th dynasty.
“The two tombs were present with their mummies inside.”
The 18th dynasty refers to the time period of the 13th century BC, a time noted for some of the country’s most famous Pharaohs, including Tutankhamen and Ramses II.
It is believed to be the first time, an unopened sarcophagus, was unveiled before the world’s media.
Five coloured masks and 1,000 Ushabti statues -the miniature figurine servants to serve the dead in the afterlife were also discovered in the tomb.
Three-hundred metres of rubble was removed over the course of five months to uncover the tomb.
It also contained mummies, skeletons and skulls dating back to the middle-kingdom almost 4,000 years ago.
Ancient Egyptians mummified humans to preserve their bodies for the afterlife, while animal mummies were used as religious offerings.
Egypt has revealed thousands of ancient discoveries since the start of the year and they hope it boosts tourism.
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