In the shadow of Qubbet el-Hawa’s sandstone cliffs, overlooking the Nile’s west bank opposite modern Aswan, Egyptian archaeologists have unearthed three previously unknown rock-cut tombs dating back to the Old Kingdom, the first great era of pyramid builders in ancient Egypt.

The discovery was made during the ongoing excavation season by an Egyptian archaeological mission working at the Qubbet el-Hawa necropolis — a burial ground famed for its elite officials, governors, and priests of ancient Elephantine.

Dr. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary-General of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, confirmed the find, noting that preliminary studies indicate some of the tombs were reused during the Middle Kingdom — reflecting the site’s enduring importance as a sacred burial place across successive dynasties.

“This is a significant scientific addition,” Dr. Khaled stated, “especially as it offers rare insights into the transitional phase between the end of the Old Kingdom and the beginning of the First Intermediate Period.”

Early analysis suggests that while the tombs lack inscriptions, their architecture and funerary layouts preserve the classic elements of Old Kingdom burial practices — a telling sign of continuity amid economic decline and political fragmentation during the First Intermediate Period. The absence of decoration, scholars suggest, may reflect limited resources or a shift in social priorities at the time.

Details of the Newly Discovered Tombs

According to Mr. Mohamed Abdel-Badie, head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector at the Supreme Council of Antiquities, the three tombs vary in architectural style and contents but all date initially to the Old Kingdom, with at least one showing clear signs of reuse during the Middle Kingdom.

• The First Tomb features an unadorned façade and an open courtyard containing two false doors, two offering tables, fragmented pottery vessels, and poorly preserved wooden coffins. Human remains were found both in the courtyard and in a vertical burial shaft within the tomb. Notably, some of the pottery bears hieratic inscriptions characteristic of Old Kingdom script.

• The Second Tomb, located to the west of the first, also lacks inscriptions. It contains two offering tables and Middle Kingdom pottery. Based on its design, archaeologists believe it was originally constructed in the waning years of the Old Kingdom or the early First Intermediate Period, and later reused during the Middle Kingdom — a period known for revitalizing earlier necropolises.

• The Third Tomb, architecturally distinct from the first two, lies west of the tomb of Ka-Kem, an official from the New Kingdom. Though uninscribed, the tomb yielded a large assemblage of well-preserved pottery and multiple skeletons, including those of children. The burial context and material culture suggest an origin in the Old Kingdom.

Qubbet el-Hawa: A Southern Sentinel of Ancient Egypt’s Elite

Perched above the Nile, Qubbet el-Hawa has long been one of the most important burial grounds in Upper Egypt. The site was a preferred necropolis for nobles and administrators of Elephantine, Egypt’s southernmost outpost in antiquity.

This latest discovery, according to the mission, reinforces the necropolis’s role in Egypt’s religious and administrative life and contributes to a clearer understanding of how burial practices evolved across tumultuous historical periods. It also underlines the architectural resilience of Egyptian tomb design, as structures from the Old Kingdom continued to be valued and reused centuries later.

As excavations continue, archaeologists hope to uncover more contextual data — including inscriptions, tools, and funerary offerings — that may shed light on the individuals buried in these tombs and the sociopolitical climate of Egypt during one of its least understood transitions.