Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities

4,000-year-old Ancient Egyptian tomb discovered by archaeologists with sacrificial table found inside

The 4,000 year old discovery was made this past weekend

Archaeologists have made a shocking discovery in Egypt after finding a 4,000-year-old tomb.

In a move that is sure to have fans of The Mummy twitching in their seats, researchers came across the resting place of one of Ancient Egypt’s rulers.

The tomb was that of Waserif Ra, the son of Pharaoh Userkaf, the founder and first King’s of Egypt’s fifth dynasty.

The news was announced by Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, posting to Facebook with pictures of the discovery.

Archaeologists made the ancient discovery during an excavation of the Saqarra Necropolis, a mass burial site to the south of Cairo.

Waserif Ra’s tomb discovery featured a number of unique characteristics, with one in particular being noted by the Egyptian government organisation.

Ministry of Tourism and AntiquitiesMinistry of Tourism and Antiquities

Described as a ‘striking’ discovery, a false door was found having been carved from pink granite.

Per Dr. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, the Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, this is one of the first times a false door of this size and material was found in the area.

The door was a massive 4.5 meters in height and over a meter wide, featuring hieroglyphic inscriptions showing Waserif Ra’s many titles.

These included: “Hereditary Prince, Governor of the Buto and Nekhbet Regions, Royal Scribe, Minister, Judge, and Chanting Priest.”

Another discovery made in the tomb is a statue of King Djoser, a Pharoah of the third Egyptian Dynasty.

This statue was accompanied by his wife and ten daughters, with researchers stating that studies indicate this was not the original location for the statues.

Originally, the statues of Djoser and his family resided within a room next the King Djoser’s Step Pyramid, later being moved.

Ministry of Tourism and AntiquitiesMinistry of Tourism and Antiquities

A press release from the government organisation stated that their mission will ‘continue its work to determine the reason behind moving these statues from their original location here.'

Also in the tomb was a red granite ‘offering table’ used for sacrifices, containing a list of the sacrifices made on the table.

Shockingly, the final discovery made indicates that the tomb may not have even solely been used for Waserif Ra.

A ‘colossal’ black granite statue was found of a standing man.

It dated back to the 26th Dynasty, implying that the tomb was reused well over 1,000 years later.

The statue bore an inscription of a name on its chest, King Neferirkare.

The comments on Facebook were full of Egyptians praising the announcement, leading the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities to comment their thanks for the support of those online.

Their statement ends with a promise to ‘continue to uncover the remaining cemetery elements that are considered unique to the region.'

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By Michael Slavin / LADbible Film and TV Writer

Michael Slavin is a Film and TV writer for LADbible. After completing an English Literature with Creative Writing degree at Surrey University, followed by a Masters in International Journalism at Salford University, he began working for the Warrington Guardian as a reporter. Throughout this though, he did freelance work about Film and TV for publications such as DiscussingFilm, looking for any excuse to get to rant about films. He has now finally got that wish.

(Source: ladbible.com; April 21, 2025; https://tinyurl.com/2c5vmhua)
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