Photo taken on Sept. 8, 2018 shows the wall of a tomb in Giza, near Cairo, Egypt. Egypt inaugurated Saturday an Old Kingdom tomb of a man called Mehu who was a minister during the end of the Sixth Dynasty. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)
Egypt inaugurated Saturday an Old Kingdom tomb of a man called Mehu who was a minister during the end of the Sixth Dynasty.
The tomb, located in Giza near Cairo, was opened for the first time since its discovery in 1939 by an Egyptian mission led by Egyptologist Zaki Saad, Mostafa Waziri, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, told Xinhua.
A restoration work was carried out before its inauguration, Waziri added.
"The tomb is one of the most beautiful in Saqqara Necropolis because it still keeps its vivid colours and distinguished scenes," Waziri said, "among the most strange scenes is the one depicting the marriage of crocodiles with the existence of a turtle."
The walls feature scenes of the tomb's owner while hunting in a jungle or fishing. Others scenes showed harvesting, cooking and acrobatic dance, which was not previously shown in Saqqara before the sixth Dynasty.
"The tomb does not belong to Mehu himself, but for members of his family as well," Waziri pointed out.
Mehu lived during the reign of King Pepsi I and held 48 titles inscribed on the walls of his burial chamber. Among the titles are the scrub of the royal documents, the vizier and Head of the Juries.
The tomb consists of burial chambers for his son Mery Re Ankh and grandson Hetep Ka II.
It also has a long narrow corridor with six chambers.
Egypt, one of the most ancient civilizations, has been working hard to preserve its archaeological heritage and discover the secrets of its ancient antiquities in a bid to revive the country's ailing tourism sector.
Tourism sector has suffered an acute recession over the past few years due to political turmoil and relevant security issues.
