Detecting 30 mummies in an ancient crypt

Egyptian archaeologists have discovered 30 intact mummies in a limestone coffin, at a 4,300-year-old crypt, sinking deep underground 11m.

This tomb is found at a desert west of the Great Pyramid, one of the oldest lifelong stone structures in the world. The coffin contains a mummy made of limestone that is sealed with a special mortar.

Many mummies are placed in a limestone casket.

These mummies and catacombs of the ancient Egyptians lived during the 5th dynasty, during the Ancient Kingdom, from 2,494 to 2,354 BC. Archaeologist Abdel Hakim Karar said: "The discovery of very large archaeological values, for the first time in a crypt, immediately found 30 intact mummies".

This is a rare case in archaeological activities in Egypt. The excavation area is located in the desert of Saqqara, which is a burial place for Egyptian aristocrats, so the director regularly visits this place for thousands of years to dig up treasures. Yet the coffins made of limestone with no passive traces touched. "Even the coffins made of wood in the crypt are safe," Karar said.

At the beginning of next week, archaeologists will conduct an examination of mummies. They hope to find a solution to the strange burial of Egypt, which is to put mummies in the alcove rather than the usual tombs.