The 'missing' pyramid was discovered buried in Egypt

Archaeologists announced the ancient pyramid of a newly rediscovered Egyptian pharaoh after being buried for generations.

This pyramid is believed to contain the tomb of King Menkauhor, who ruled in the 5th dynasty of Egypt within 8 years, around the mid-2400 BC.

Long before the foundation was left, this work was known as Number 29 or 'Headless Pyramid' . It was mentioned by German archaeologist Karl Richard Lepsius in the mid-19th century.

It then disappeared under the sand of Saqqara, a sprawling royal burial complex near present-day Cairo.

It took Egyptian archaeologists about a year and a half just to remove sand above the pyramid.

According to Zahi Hawass, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Egypt, 'After Lepsius' time, the position of the pyramid was lost and the sub-structure of the pyramid was never known. It was forgotten by everyone before we started searching for this area and a sand hill probably 7.6 meters high. '

Archaeologists announced on June 5 that they discovered the long-lost background of an ancient Egyptian pyramid at the royal burial site of Saqqara.Buried in sand for generations, this newly excavated building may contain the tomb of Menkauhor, the ruler 4,000 years ago.They also announced the discovery of a ceremony path known as the Sphinx Road.(Photo: Mohamed Megahed)

Ex-focal point

Nothing on the pyramid specifically indicates the name of the owner, and much of this work has been devastated, so Egyptian archaeologists must link the clues to determine it.

Archaeologists in the past have argued about the date of the pyramid, often thought to be the Old World, from 2575 to 2150 BC, or from the Middle Kingdom, from 1975 to 1640 BC.

But the recent work determined that the pyramid lacks the typical winding mazes of a medieval period temple. Instead, according to Hawass, the lack of artwork and carvings, as well as red gravel blocks, is typical of Old World pyramids.

The surrounding pyramids also aimed at the owner of this pyramid, Menkauhor, because his tomb was not discovered.'There are missing pyramids of the king, this is one of them.'

The sacred road

Archaeologists also claim to discover new parts of a sacred road, dating back to Ptolema, about 2000 years after the Old Kingdom. This finding shows the long-term importance of Saqqara, located in the ancient capital of Memphis.

Ola El Aguizy, Egyptian language lecturer at Cairo University, said: 'Throughout the entire history of Egypt, Memphis and Saqqara have a very important position. I am exploring the graves of people in the 26th dynasty at Saqqara reusing the tomb from the 19th dynasty. This is a sacred place, and so many important people want to be buried here. '

Another reason everyone wanted to be buried in Saqqara was because of the sacred path, used in the mummy procession of the god of the dead, Osiris.

'Osiris was crowned king and after he died they celebrated his funeral as a king'. Cows are also of historical importance: their deaths are used to determine the time of a pharaoh's rule.

'This is also one of the pharaoh's dates. Sometimes we know how many cows die during the position of a king and vice versa. '

Hope for many new discoveries

This sacred road, first discovered by French archaeologist Auguste Mariette in 1850, is known as the Road of the Sphinx because the long statue of the road is often found at the gates of Ai temple. Update.

'The present name of ancient Memphis is Mit Rahina . which means the way of the Sphinx.'

Archaeologists hope this road will lead to many discoveries in the region. Plans are underway to relocate modern workers living in a village next to Menkauhor archaeological site to expand the search for many other temples.

'When I say we have discovered 30% of ancient Egyptian buildings, I will take Saqqara as the first example. Saqqara is a pristine area. It is very important to us in the excavation process to learn more about the Old Pyramids. '