Egypt says 4,400-year-old tomb discovered outside Cairo

A guide from the Ministry of Antiquities stands inside the tomb of an Old Kingdom priestess adorned with well-preserved and rare wall paintings on the Giza plateau in Cairo that was unveiled on February 3, 2018 after being discovered during excavation work in Giza’s western cemetery by a team of Egyptian archaeologists. (AFP)

CAIRO: Archaeologists in Egypt say they have discovered a 4,400-year-old tomb near the pyramids outside Cairo.
Egypt’s Antiquities Ministry announced the discovery Saturday and said the tomb likely belonged to a high-ranking official known as Hetpet during the 5th Dynasty of ancient Egypt. The tomb includes wall paintings depicting Hetpet observing different hunting and fishing scenes.
Mostafa Al-Waziri, leader of the archaeological mission, says the scenes depict a monkey — at the time commonly kept as domestic animals — reaping fruit and another dancing before an orchestra.
He believes Hetpet, a woman thought to be close to ancient Egyptian royals, had another tomb in Giza’s western necropolis, which is home to the tombs of top officials of Egypt’s Old Kingdom.
Al-Waziri says excavation work is underway for the other tomb.