Five tombs from the Old Kingdom and First Intermediate eras were recently uncovered during excavations carried out on the northeastern side of King Merenre Pyramid in Saqqara necropolis.

Dr. El-Enany inspects a recently discovered tomb in Saqqara [Credit: Egypt. Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities]

Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled El-Enany and the Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Mostafa Waziri toured early on Thursday the excavation work carried out by an Egyptian excavation team.

Descending the burial shaft of a recently discovered tomb in Saqqara [Credit: Egypt. Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities]

The team is still busy at work, brushing the toll of time off the tombs’ walls and identifying the colours of the tombs’ decorations.

Inside the burial shaft of a tomb in Saqqara [Credit: Egypt. Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities]

El-Enany entered one of the newly discovered tombs to inspect the team’s work, thanking them for their efforts revealing the secrets of Saqqara.

For his part, Waziri explained that the five tombs, which belonged to top officials, are in a state of good preservation.

Dr. El-Enany and Dr. Waziri inspect a recently discovered tomb in Saqqara  [Credit: Egypt. Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities]

The first tomb, which belonged to an official with the rank of Iry, consists of a deep burial shaft leading to a chamber decorated with funerary scenes depicting offering tables, the seven sacred oils and a façade of the palace. A limestone sarcophagus was also uncovered inside the tomb.

Walls decorated with hieroglyphic inscriptions and images of sacred animals are seen at a recently discovered tomb in Saqqara [Credit: AP Photo/Sayed Hassan]

The second tomb belongs to a woman that could be the wife of a man named Yaret and has a rectangular burial shaft.

Mostafa Waziri, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, views hieroglyphics inside a recently discovered tomb in Saqqara [Credit: AP Photo/Sayed Hassan]

The third tomb belongs to Pepi Nefhany, who held the positions of supervisor of the great house, priest, and purifier of the house. It has a six metre deep burial shaft.