Egyptian archaeologists discovered more than 80 coffins on Monday (October 19) in the ancient necropolis of Saqqara, a burial ground that is also home to one of the world's oldest pyramids.

Over 80 coffins discovered in ancient Egyptian necropolis

Egypt is building two highways across the pyramids plateau outside Cairo, reviving and expanding a project that was suspended in the 1990s after an international outcry.

The Great Pyramids, Egypt’s top tourist destination, are the sole survivor of the seven wonders of the ancient world and the plateau is a UNESCO world heritage site.

The highways are part of an infrastructure push spearheaded by Egypt’s powerful military and championed by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who is building a new capital city to ease the population pressure on Cairo, home to 20 million people.

The northern highway will cross the desert 2.5 km (1.6 miles) south of the Great Pyramids. The southern one will pass between the Step Pyramid of Saqqara - the oldest one - and the Dahshur area, home to the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid.

Each highway appears to be about eight lanes wide.

Critics say they could cause irrevocable damage to one of the world’s most important heritage sites. Authorities say they will be built with care and improve transport links, connecting new urban developments and bypassing central Cairo’s congestion.

“The roads are very, very important for development, for Egyptians, for inside Egypt,” said Mostafa al-Waziri, secretary-general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities. “Know that we take good care of our antiquities sites everywhere in Egypt.”

Some Egyptologists and conservationists say the highways will disrupt the integrity of the pyramids plateau, pave over unexplored archaeological sites, generate pollution that could corrode monuments, produce litter and expose closed areas packed with hidden archaeological treasures to looting.

Al-Waziri said existing roads were much closer to the pyramids and carried a lot of tourist buses. “That is why we are doing a lot of development,” he said, noting plans to use electric tourist buses within the plateau to avoid pollution.

Memphis

The highways, which will dissect the plateau into three, will cross a section of ancient Memphis, one of the world’s biggest and most influential cities for almost 3,000 years.

“I was flabbergasted by what I saw,” said former senior UNESCO official Said Zulficar, who visited a portion of the southern highway two months ago. “All the work that I had done nearly 25 years ago is now being put into question.”

Zulficar led a successful campaign in the mid 1990s to suspend construction of the northern highway, a branch of Cairo’s first ringroad. UNESCO said it had requested detailed information on the new plan several times and asked to send a monitoring mission.

The state press centre referred a Reuters request for further comment on the plans to a communications advisor of the tourism and antiquities ministry, who could not be reached.

Construction began well over a year ago in desert areas largely out of public sight and became more visible around March, Egyptologists and Google Earth images indicate.

On a recent visit, Reuters journalists saw heavy machinery clearing fields and building bridges and junctions along both highways. Hundreds of uprooted date palms lay in piles.

The southern highway is a part of Cairo’s second ringroad that will connect the western satellite city of Sixth of October to the new capital city east of Cairo via 16 km of desert on the pyramids plateau, farmland and a corner of Memphis.

In 2014, the World Bank estimated congestion in the greater Cairo area cut about 3.6 percentage points off Egypt’s output.

“The road cuts through archaeologically unexplored cemeteries of the little-known 13th Dynasty, in walking distance of the pyramids of Pepi II and Khendjer and the Mastabat el-Fara’un”, said an Egyptologist who knows the area.

The person was among six Egyptologists Reuters spoke to. Most of them declined to be named for fear of losing clearance to handle antiquities.

One said caches of statues and blocks with hieroglyphs had been unearthed since highway construction began; the antiquities authority said on its Facebook page these had been discovered on nearby private property.

Memphis, said to have been founded in about 3,000 B.C. when Egypt was united into a single country, was eclipsed but not abandoned when Alexander the Great moved the capital to Alexandria in 331 B.C.

It extended more than 6 square kilometres, the Nile valley’s largest ancient settlement site.

The new road comes close to the ancient city’s commercial districts, its harbour walls and the former site of an ancient Nilometer, used to measure the height of the annual flood, said David Jeffreys, a British Egyptologist who has been working on Memphis for the Egypt Exploration Society since 1981.

It also endangers a Roman wall that once bordered the Nile that Jeffreys said few people were aware of.

“Memphis has long been neglected, even by Egyptologists, as it is a complicated site to excavate,” another Egyptologist said. “But it is enormously rich, bursting with temples, archives, administrative buildings and industrial areas.”

Egypt is building two highways across the pyramids plateau outside Cairo, reviving and expanding a project that was suspended in the 1990s after an international outcry.

Egypt is building two highways across the pyramids plateau outside Cairo, reviving and expanding a project that was suspended in the 1990s after an international outcry. The Great Pyramids, Egypt’s top tourist destination, are the sole survivor of the seven wonders of the ancient world and the plateau is a UNESCO world heritage site. The highways are part of an infrastructure push spearheaded by Egypt’s powerful military and championed by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who is building a new capital city to ease the population pressure on Cairo, home to 20 million people. The northern highway will cross the desert 2.5 km (1.6 miles) south of the Great Pyramids. The southern one will pass between the Step Pyramid of Saqqara - the oldest one - and the Dahshur area, home to the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid. Each highway appears to be about eight lanes wide. Critics say they could cause irrevocable damage to one of the world’s most important heritage sites. Authorities say they will be built with care and improve transport links, connecting new urban developments and bypassing central Cairo’s congestion. “The roads are very, very important for development, for Egyptians, for inside Egypt,” said Mostafa al-Waziri, secretary-general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities. “Know that we take good care of our antiquities sites everywhere in Egypt.” Some Egyptologists and conservationists say the highways will disrupt the integrity of the pyramids plateau, pave over unexplored archaeological sites, generate pollution that could corrode monuments, produce litter and expose closed areas packed with hidden archaeological treasures to looting. Al-Waziri said existing roads were much closer to the pyramids and carried a lot of tourist buses. “That is why we are doing a lot of development,” he said, noting plans to use electric tourist buses within the plateau to avoid pollution. Memphis The highways, which will dissect the plateau into three, will cross a section of ancient Memphis, one of the world’s biggest and most influential cities for almost 3,000 years. “I was flabbergasted by what I saw,” said former senior UNESCO official Said Zulficar, who visited a portion of the southern highway two months ago. “All the work that I had done nearly 25 years ago is now being put into question.” Zulficar led a successful campaign in the mid 1990s to suspend construction of the northern highway, a branch of Cairo’s first ringroad. UNESCO said it had requested detailed information on the new plan several times and asked to send a monitoring mission. The state press centre referred a Reuters request for further comment on the plans to a communications advisor of the tourism and antiquities ministry, who could not be reached. Construction began well over a year ago in desert areas largely out of public sight and became more visible around March, Egyptologists and Google Earth images indicate. On a recent visit, Reuters journalists saw heavy machinery clearing fields and building bridges and junctions along both highways. Hundreds of uprooted date palms lay in piles. The southern highway is a part of Cairo’s second ringroad that will connect the western satellite city of Sixth of October to the new capital city east of Cairo via 16 km of desert on the pyramids plateau, farmland and a corner of Memphis. In 2014, the World Bank estimated congestion in the greater Cairo area cut about 3.6 percentage points off Egypt’s output. “The road cuts through archaeologically unexplored cemeteries of the little-known 13th Dynasty, in walking distance of the pyramids of Pepi II and Khendjer and the Mastabat el-Fara’un”, said an Egyptologist who knows the area. The person was among six Egyptologists Reuters spoke to. Most of them declined to be named for fear of losing clearance to handle antiquities. One said caches of statues and blocks with hieroglyphs had been unearthed since highway construction began; the antiquities authority said on its Facebook page these had been discovered on nearby private property. Memphis, said to have been founded in about 3,000 B.C. when Egypt was united into a single country, was eclipsed but not abandoned when Alexander the Great moved the capital to Alexandria in 331 B.C. It extended more than 6 square kilometres, the Nile valley’s largest ancient settlement site. The new road comes close to the ancient city’s commercial districts, its harbour walls and the former site of an ancient Nilometer, used to measure the height of the annual flood, said David Jeffreys, a British Egyptologist who has been working on Memphis for the Egypt Exploration Society since 1981. It also endangers a Roman wall that once bordered the Nile that Jeffreys said few people were aware of. “Memphis has long been neglected, even by Egyptologists, as it is a complicated site to excavate,” another Egyptologist said. “But it is enormously rich, bursting with temples, archives, administrative buildings and industrial areas.”

Egypt cuts highways across pyramids plateau, alarming conservationists

SpaceX mogul Elon Musk recently claimed that pyramids in Egypt were built by aliens.

A conspiracy theory which finds itself a lot of traction on social media from time to time, believes that besides building the pyramids, aliens may have used it to garner energy from the planet.

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Aliens built the pyramids obv
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1289051795763769345?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 31, 2020</a></blockquote>
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However, Egypt’s international co-operation minister recently hit out at Musk, all the while inviting him to visit the pyramids.

Minister hits back!

The minister claimed that the tombs of pyramid builders discovered in 1990s prove that the structures were put in place by ancient Egyptians.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/technology/elon-musks-upcoming-neuralink-will-let-you-beam-music-directly-into-the-brain-314879" hreflang="en">Elon Musk's upcoming 'Neuralink' will let you beam music directly into the brain</a>

Musk’s tweet about aliens building the pyramids received 85,000 retweets and has been liked by 542,000 people on the platform.

The minister - Rania al-Mashat while inviting Musk to the country claimed that she admired his work. Additionally, she asked to visit and analyse the pyramids for further research.

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I follow your work with a lot of admiration. I invite you &amp; Space X to explore the writings about how the pyramids were built and also to check out the tombs of the pyramid builders. Mr. Musk, we are waiting for you 🚀. <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@elonmusk</a> <a href="https://t.co/Xlr7EoPXX4">https://t.co/Xlr7EoPXX4</a>
— Rania A. Al Mashat (@RaniaAlMashat) <a href="https://twitter.com/RaniaAlMashat/status/1289458032913420288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
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In another response coming in from the country, an archaeologist - Zahi Hawass claimed that Musk was “hallucinating”, and that this argument bore no evidence.

Hawass said that the discovery of the tombs of the pyramid builders prove that they were built by Egyptians and not slaves, as commonly believed.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/technology/very-close-to-level-5-autonomous-driving-technology-tesla-chief-elon-musk-311978" hreflang="en">'Very close' to level 5 autonomous driving technology: Tesla chief Elon Musk</a>

Hours after stirring emotions on Twitter, Musk tweeted out a story about the lives of pyramid builders, while adding that Great Pyramid in Giza remains the most famous.

The pyramids were largely built to serve as tombs for the country’s royalty, with over 100 pyramids surviving in the country. Giza alone, stands at a height of 137 metres.

Musk is no stranger to such odd musings on Twitter.

SpaceX mogul Elon Musk recently claimed that pyramids in Egypt were built by aliens. A conspiracy theory which finds itself a lot of traction on social media from time to time, believes that besides building the pyramids, aliens may have used it to garner energy from the planet.

SpaceX mogul Elon Musk recently claimed that pyramids in Egypt were built by aliens. A conspiracy theory which finds itself a lot of traction on social media from time to time, believes that besides building the pyramids, aliens may have used it to garner energy from the planet. Aliens built the pyramids obv — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 31, 2020 × However, Egypt’s international co-operation minister recently hit out at Musk, all the while inviting him to visit the pyramids. Minister hits back! The minister claimed that the tombs of pyramid builders discovered in 1990s prove that the structures were put in place by ancient Egyptians. Also read: Elon Musk's upcoming 'Neuralink' will let you beam music directly into the brain Musk’s tweet about aliens building the pyramids received 85,000 retweets and has been liked by 542,000 people on the platform. The minister - Rania al-Mashat while inviting Musk to the country claimed that she admired his work. Additionally, she asked to visit and analyse the pyramids for further research. I follow your work with a lot of admiration. I invite you & Space X to explore the writings about how the pyramids were built and also to check out the tombs of the pyramid builders. Mr. Musk, we are waiting for you 🚀. @elonmusk https://t.co/Xlr7EoPXX4 — Rania A. Al Mashat (@RaniaAlMashat) August 1, 2020 × In another response coming in from the country, an archaeologist - Zahi Hawass claimed that Musk was “hallucinating”, and that this argument bore no evidence. Hawass said that the discovery of the tombs of the pyramid builders prove that they were built by Egyptians and not slaves, as commonly believed. Also read: 'Very close' to level 5 autonomous driving technology: Tesla chief Elon Musk Hours after stirring emotions on Twitter, Musk tweeted out a story about the lives of pyramid builders, while adding that Great Pyramid in Giza remains the most famous. The pyramids were largely built to serve as tombs for the country’s royalty, with over 100 pyramids surviving in the country. Giza alone, stands at a height of 137 metres. Musk is no stranger to such odd musings on Twitter.

After Musk claims pyramids were built by aliens, an Egyptian official refutes his theory

Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has recently announced the unearthing of five limestone sarcophagi and four coffins containing human mummies.&nbsp;

The wooden coffins were found inside a burial shaft stretching nine meters below ground.&nbsp;

The shaft was found in Sacred Animal Necropolis in Saqqara, which is an ancient burial ground, 20 miles south of Cairo. It is the same area where the oldest pyramid, Step Pyramid, is located.

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Some other small artifacts, including 365 faience ushabti figurines and some inscribed with hieroglyphics, were also found in the shaft.

The announcement was made through a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/moantiquities/videos/2554142418186206/">facebook video</a> of the Ministry's official facebook page.&nbsp;

A small wooden obelisk about 40 centimeters tall was also found in the shaft. It was painted with scenes featuring the Egyptian goddesses Isis, associated with rebirth, the death goddess Nephthys, and the god Horus.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-considering-coronavirus-checks-on-international-flights-trump-295404">Also read:&nbsp;US considering coronavirus checks on international flights: Trump</a>

While majority artifacts were removed from the shaft for restoration purposes, the sarcophagi and wooden coffins are being restored inside the shaft, says the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

On April 24, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities also announced the uncovering of a mummy that dates back to Egypt's 17th dynasty, circa 1550 BCE.

Archaeologists have also discovered red leather sandals and a pair of leather balls tied to each other with thread. Also buried nearby were two mummified cats,&nbsp;another smaller coffin with a wooden ushabti inside.

The officials assured that all members of the team are maintaining proper social distance and are following all the precautions of coronavirus.

Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has recently announced the unearthing of five limestone sarcophagi and four coffins containing human mummies. The wooden coffins were found inside a burial shaft stretching nine meters below ground.

Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has recently announced the unearthing of five limestone sarcophagi and four coffins containing human mummies. The wooden coffins were found inside a burial shaft stretching nine meters below ground. The shaft was found in Sacred Animal Necropolis in Saqqara, which is an ancient burial ground, 20 miles south of Cairo. It is the same area where the oldest pyramid, Step Pyramid, is located. Also read: La Liga to begin with individual training as government to ease lockdown Some other small artifacts, including 365 faience ushabti figurines and some inscribed with hieroglyphics, were also found in the shaft. The announcement was made through a facebook video of the Ministry's official facebook page. A small wooden obelisk about 40 centimeters tall was also found in the shaft. It was painted with scenes featuring the Egyptian goddesses Isis, associated with rebirth, the death goddess Nephthys, and the god Horus. Also read: US considering coronavirus checks on international flights: Trump While majority artifacts were removed from the shaft for restoration purposes, the sarcophagi and wooden coffins are being restored inside the shaft, says the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. On April 24, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities also announced the uncovering of a mummy that dates back to Egypt's 17th dynasty, circa 1550 BCE. Archaeologists have also discovered red leather sandals and a pair of leather balls tied to each other with thread. Also buried nearby were two mummified cats, another smaller coffin with a wooden ushabti inside. The officials assured that all members of the team are maintaining proper social distance and are following all the precautions of coronavirus.

Mummies found in a burial shaft in Egypt

More than 4,000 professionals and first-time runners took to Egypt's Giza on Saturday (February 22), where they participated in a half marathon around the site of the country's historic pyramids.

Egypt's historic pyramids serve as backdrop for half marathon

A few kilometers south of the three Great Pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, an Egyptian archaeological mission has unearthed three, including one that was shared by two priests over 4,400 years ago.

Three tombs discovered under Egypt’s Great Pyramids

US First Lady Melania Trump was welcomed by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and his wife, Entissar, on Saturday after she flew in from Kenya as part of her first solo African trip.

She was scheduled to tour the Pyramids and the Great Sphinx before leaving for the United States later on Saturday.

Melania Trump wore slacks and a tie as she stepped off the plane in Cairo, where she proceeded to the presidential palace.

In a Facebook post on Friday, Sisi's wife welcomed Melania by saying she would arrive to her "second country, Egypt".

"I am honoured to meet the honourable lady, the wife of the American president, in Cairo tomorrow, and to wish her a successful and happy stay in her second country, Egypt," she wrote in Arabic.

Trump, who also traveled to Malawi and Ghana on her trip, has focused on her signature issue of advocating for children with stops at a hospital, primary school and an orphanage.

US First Lady Melania Trump was welcomed by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and his wife, Entissar, on Saturday after she flew in from Kenya as part of her first solo African trip.

US First Lady Melania Trump was welcomed by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and his wife, Entissar, on Saturday after she flew in from Kenya as part of her first solo African trip. She was scheduled to tour the Pyramids and the Great Sphinx before leaving for the United States later on Saturday. Melania Trump wore slacks and a tie as she stepped off the plane in Cairo, where she proceeded to the presidential palace. In a Facebook post on Friday, Sisi's wife welcomed Melania by saying she would arrive to her "second country, Egypt". "I am honoured to meet the honourable lady, the wife of the American president, in Cairo tomorrow, and to wish her a successful and happy stay in her second country, Egypt," she wrote in Arabic. Trump, who also traveled to Malawi and Ghana on her trip, has focused on her signature issue of advocating for children with stops at a hospital, primary school and an orphanage.

US First Lady Melania Trump wraps up solo African tour in Egypt

Archaeologists exploring Peru&#39;s pre-Colombian past recently unearthed a glimpse of a less prominent chapter in the Andean country&#39;s history - the remains of 16 Chinese laborers who toiled in the country over 100 years ago.

The bodies, thought to be those of indentured workers brought to Peru to replace slave labor, were found buried at the top of an adobe&nbsp;pyramid&nbsp;first used by the&nbsp;ancient&nbsp;Ichma people, Roxana Gomez, the lead archaeologist of the site, said on Thursday.

Peru was one of the biggest destinations for Chinese labor in Latin America in the 19th century, a market that thrived after slavery was abolished in the country in 1854.

The Chinese found at the Bellavista&nbsp;pyramid&nbsp;in Lima were buried in the late 1800s and early 1900s and had likely picked cotton at a nearby plantation in &quot;very difficult&quot; conditions, said Gomez.

In a possible sign of how the Chinese gradually emerged from dire poverty in Peru, the first 11 bodies were shrouded in cloth and placed in the ground, while the last five wore blue-green jackets and were buried in wooden coffins, Gomez said.

&quot;In one Chinese coffin, an opium pipe and a small ceramic vessel were included in the funerary ensemble,&quot; said Gomez.

Chinese laborers were generally not allowed to be buried at Lima&#39;s Catholic cemeteries, forcing them to improvise burial sites, according to Peru&#39;s Culture Ministry.

The remains of Chinese laborers were previously found in Lima at other Adobe&nbsp;pyramids known as &quot;huacas.&quot; Built by the indigenous societies that once ruled much of Peru&#39;s Pacific coast, huacas were used as administrative and religious centers where members of the elite were often buried with gold objects, ceramics or human sacrifices.

Gomez said the huacas had a sacred association that might have made them attractive places for burial by Chinese laborers.

The Bellavista huaca was occupied by Ichma starting in about 1000 A.D. and was later annexed by the Incan empire until the arrival of Spanish conquerors who deemed huacas blasphemous.

Italian immigrants later kept vineyards at the base of the site, Gomez added.

&quot;The best way to understand our history is as a continuum of different cultures,&quot; said Gomez.

Peru was one of the biggest destinations for Chinese labor in Latin America in the 19th century

Archaeologists exploring Peru's pre-Colombian past recently unearthed a glimpse of a less prominent chapter in the Andean country's history - the remains of 16 Chinese laborers who toiled in the country over 100 years ago. The bodies, thought to be those of indentured workers brought to Peru to replace slave labor, were found buried at the top of an adobe pyramid first used by the ancient Ichma people, Roxana Gomez, the lead archaeologist of the site, said on Thursday. Peru was one of the biggest destinations for Chinese labor in Latin America in the 19th century, a market that thrived after slavery was abolished in the country in 1854. The Chinese found at the Bellavista pyramid in Lima were buried in the late 1800s and early 1900s and had likely picked cotton at a nearby plantation in "very difficult" conditions, said Gomez. In a possible sign of how the Chinese gradually emerged from dire poverty in Peru, the first 11 bodies were shrouded in cloth and placed in the ground, while the last five wore blue-green jackets and were buried in wooden coffins, Gomez said. "In one Chinese coffin, an opium pipe and a small ceramic vessel were included in the funerary ensemble," said Gomez. Chinese laborers were generally not allowed to be buried at Lima's Catholic cemeteries, forcing them to improvise burial sites, according to Peru's Culture Ministry. The remains of Chinese laborers were previously found in Lima at other Adobe pyramids known as "huacas." Built by the indigenous societies that once ruled much of Peru's Pacific coast, huacas were used as administrative and religious centers where members of the elite were often buried with gold objects, ceramics or human sacrifices. Gomez said the huacas had a sacred association that might have made them attractive places for burial by Chinese laborers. The Bellavista huaca was occupied by Ichma starting in about 1000 A.D. and was later annexed by the Incan empire until the arrival of Spanish conquerors who deemed huacas blasphemous. Italian immigrants later kept vineyards at the base of the site, Gomez added. "The best way to understand our history is as a continuum of different cultures," said Gomez.

Remains of 19th-century Chinese laborers found in Peru Pyramid

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