Ancient burial chamber with preserved mummies uncovered in Egypt

Egypt has discovered an ancient burial chamber containing at least 17 mummies all more than 1,500 years old. Authorities hope the find will help boost the country’s struggling tourism industry. The burial chamber was found in the province of Minya, about 250 km south of Cairo. The chamber was eight metres below ground and was first detected last year with radar by a team of Cairo University students. At least 17 mummies, most of them fully intact, have been discovered inside the chamber. There may be as many as 32 mummies in the chamber. Egypt’s tourism industry has declined sharply from 14.7 million visitors in 2010 to just 5.4 million visitors in 2016. Authorities hope the new discovery will bring tourists back into the country. "2017 has been a historic year for archaeological discoveries. It's as if it's a message from our ancestors who are lending us a hand to help bring tourists back,” Salah el-Kholi, a Cairo University egyptology professor who led the mission told Al Jazeera English.

• 2017-05-16T07:43:48+00:00
• Duration: 00:53

• Egypt
• News
• News2017

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