Egypt’s fresh archaeological find fuels hopes for tourism revival

Egypt’s fresh archaeological find fuels hopes for tourism revival

CAIRO - Egyptian excavators have uncovered a 2,500-year-old archaeological treasure trove south of Cairo, adding to the country's vast collection of prehistoric artefacts, as officials seek to revive a struggling tourism sector that is crucial to the economy.

Egyptian archaeologists discovered 27 sarcophagi coffins in the town of Saqqara, part of a UNESCO world heritage site that hosts some of the world's oldest pyramids.

The wooden sarcophagi, which have not yet been opened, are full of colourful, detailed hieroglyphics, Egypt's ministry of tourism and antiquities said.

Neveine el-Arif, a spokeswoman for the ministry, said that experts were looking into the origin of the coffins and would likely reveal more information about them next month. She said she was hopeful that further excavation work in the ancient necropolis would unearth more artefacts.

Egypt's Saqqara plateau was