Ancient Tomb Discovery May Jumpstart Egypt Tourism

Egyptian tourism officials have been buoyed after the unearthing of a nobleman’s 3,000-year-old tomb—the latest in a series of major discoveries of ancient artifacts.

Hisham El Demery, ýgeneral manager of Egypt’s Tourism Development Authority, said the archeological find, near the city of Luxor, was helping to increase travel demand from tourists and hoped more discoveries would interest visitors, the Independent reported.

“These discoveries are positive news from Egypt’s tourism industry, which is something we all really need,” he said.

Tourism to the country has suffered difficulty following the toppling of former president, Hosni Mubarak, in 2011 with political unrest and the downing of a Russian passenger plane returning from Sharm el Sheikh in October 2015 deterring visitors, TTG Media reported.

According to the country’s Ministry of Antiquities, the tomb contains the remains of Userhat, an ancient Egyptian judge who was alive sometime between 1,500 and 1,000 BC.

The ministry said the vault consists of an open courtyard leading into a rectangular hall, a corridor and inner chamber.

In one of the rooms in the tomb, archeologists found a collection of figurines, wooden masks and a handle of a sarcophagus lid.

Excavation is continuing in a second chamber.

Earlier this year, Swedish archeologists uncovered 12 ancient Egyptian cemeteries near the city of Aswan, which date back around 3,500 years.

In March, an eight-meter statue that is believed to be of King Psammetich I, who ruled from 664 to 610 BC, was discovered in Cairo.