Egypt has announced the discovery of two 3,500-year-old tombs, one of which contains a mummy, in the latest major find by archaeologists in the country.
"It’s truly an exceptional day," the antiquities minister, Khaled al-Anani, said, according to The Guardian. “The 18th-dynasty private tombs were already known. But it’s the first time to enter inside the two tombs.”
Archaeologists believe that the tombs belonged to officials from ancient Egyptian capital of Thebes. A mummy wrapped in line was found in one of the tombs, believed to be "a top official or a powerful person."
Among other artifacts, the tombs also contained painted wooden funerary masks, funerary cones, clay vessels and about 450 statues.
In one of the tombs, there is also a large painted wall in excellent condition, particularly when considering how ancient it is.
“It’s really beautiful,” famed Egyptologist Zahi Hawass said, according to The Independent. "It looks like it was painted yesterday. In my opinion, this could be the best painted wall discovered in Draa Abou Naga in the last 100 years.”
Although it's unclear who the officials buried in the tombs were, the tomb of an 18th Dynasty magistrate named Userhat was opened in the same necropolis earlier this year.
Funerary seals with the names of Maati, a writer, and his wife Mohi were located in one of the structure's courtyards, leading to speculation that the tomb could belong to the couple, according to National Geographic.
The find is just the latest in a series that have been discovered throughout the past year. Egypt's antiquities ministry has made an extra effort to highlight and promote the fascinating treasures being unearthed on a regular basis.
Ministry officials have called 2017 the "year of discoveries," organizing press conferences to announce new discoveries.
Al-Anani stressed how important such findings are to the country's tourism sector, pointing out that the ministry must balance its budget between searching for new treasures while also maintaining other historic sites.
"If we have enough money then we have no problem,” the antiquities minister said. “But if not, we have to balance our expenses between maintaining monuments and making excavations.”
In 2014, Egypt's revenues from tourism reportedly dropped more than 90 percent, due to instability in the country. Since then, a series of terrorist attacks, some of which have targeted tourists, have left the sector struggling to regain its once vital role in the country's economy.
