16 February 2026 The Future is the Product of the Past

A burial complex dating to the Second Intermediate Period has been discovered at the Dra Abu el-Naga necropolis at Luxor

At the Dra Abu el-Naga necropolis in Luxor, a family burial complex from the Second Intermediate Period has been found.

The necropolis of Dra Abu el-Naga’ is located on the West Bank of the Nile in Thebes, Egypt, just north of the necropolis of el-Assasif and near the dry bay entrance leading up to Deir el-Bahari. The necropolis is located near the Valley of the Kings.

The finds date to the Thirteenth Dynasty, a group of pharaohs that reigned at the beginning of Egyptian history’s Second Intermediate Period (c. 1700–1550 BCE).

Dr. Mostafa Waziri explained that this discovery is the first of its kind in that cemetery. It includes a place designated for burials measuring about 50 meters in width, and 70 meters in length.

The Egyptian mission discovered 30 burial shafts with similar architectural designs, as well as a mud-brick offering chapel containing a collection of ushabtis and amulets.



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



Stele, ushabtis and fragment of papyrus found in Dra Abu El Naga  Photo: MoTA Egypt.
Stele, ushabtis and fragment of papyrus found in Dra Abu El Naga Photo: MoTA Egypt.

A minister by the name of Ankhu who served under King Sobekhotep II (13th Dynasty) was interred in one of these wells. The burial contained a pink granite sarcophagus with the deceased’s name engraved on it. The sarcophagus weighs about 10 tons.

Another well contained a small funerary stele, decorated with a scene depicting the stele’s owner bringing offerings to King Sobekhotep II. According to the inscription, the man held the position of a deputy minister.

Other finds included canopic jar stoppers, cartonnage fragments, and several woven baskets. Images released by the Ministry also show an inscribed papyrus fragment among the finds.

A small stela discovered at the Dra Abu el-Naga family burial complex. Photo: MoTA Egypt.
A small stela was discovered at the Dra Abu el-Naga family burial complex. Photo: MoTA Egypt.

The Director General of Antiquities of Upper Egypt, Dr. Fathi Yassin stated that inside the adobe building, there was a group of white-painted ushabti statues with inscriptions in black ink in hieratic script.

There were also hundreds of funerary seals without inscription, which are typical of the time before the New Kingdom, as well as a sizable group of faience amulets shaped like scarabs and the Sons of Horus, a sizable number of beads.

MOTA

Related Articles

Britain’s Largest Iron Age Gold Coin Hoard: A Possible Tribute to Julius Caesar?

16 May 2025

16 May 2025

In a stunning revelation, British authorities have recently announced the discovery of an unparalleled Iron Age coin hoard, a singular...

The Discovery of a Historic Wooden Shipwreck in the North Sea

27 January 2025

27 January 2025

A section of a wooden shipwreck was uncovered near Rantum, a coastal village located on the island of Sylt in...

Medieval Moat and Bridge Discovered Protecting Farmhouse in England

14 March 2024

14 March 2024

Cotswold Archaeology’s excavations in Tewkesbury, a historic riverside town north of Gloucestershire, England, have revealed a medieval moat and bridge...

Petalodus shark teeth found for the first time in China

29 August 2021

29 August 2021

A 290 million-year-old fossil of a shark with petal-shaped teeth has been discovered in China. Seven well-preserved Petalodus teeth were...

Saxon ‘London’ was Bigger Than Previously Believed

23 February 2024

23 February 2024

Archaeologists digging at the northern end of Trafalgar Square found evidence that Saxon London’s center was bigger and extended further...

4500-year-old tiger-patterned ritual weapon uncover in east China

4 April 2023

4 April 2023

Archaeologists discovered an extremely rare stone relic, an axe-shaped weapon used for rituals in ancient China, engraved with a tiger...

3500-year-old ceramic oven discovered in Turkey’s Tepecik Mound

24 August 2021

24 August 2021

A 3,500-year-old ceramic oven was unearthed in Tepecik Mound in the Çine district of Aydın, in western Turkey. Tepecik Höyük,...

A farmer picking up ‘trash’ in field in Norway discovered a rare Viking Sword

1 June 2024

1 June 2024

A farmer and his son found a rare Viking sword on his family farm in Suldal, Norway. Archaeologists say this...

2,000-Year-Old Unique Composite Fish Scaled Armor Found in Ancient Tomb

20 December 2024

20 December 2024

Chinese researchers have recently found fish-scaled armor in the tomb of Liu He, Marquis of Haihun from the Western Han...

Archaeologists have discovered a 4,000-year-old burial ground and shell tool processing site in Taiwan

1 August 2022

1 August 2022

A 4,000-year-old cemetery and shell tool processing site has been discovered in Kenting National Park, Taiwan’s oldest and southernmost national...

Famous Egyptologist Zahi Hawass Wants to See Hieroglyphs as an İntegral Part of The Curriculum

23 February 2021

23 February 2021

The Egyptian council of ministers is discussing the introduction of archaeological and tourist materials in the education curriculum to help...

3,000-Year-Old Conical Axe Believed to Have Fallen from the Sky: Possibly Made from Meteorite

27 August 2025

27 August 2025

A rare Bronze Age conical axe, over 3,000 years old and possibly crafted from meteorite metal, has been recently discovered...

A new study provides evidence that modern humans, coexisted in the same region with Neanderthals for thousands of years

11 February 2024

11 February 2024

A genetic analysis of bone fragments excavated from an archaeological site in Ranis, Germany provides conclusive evidence that modern humans...

Part of The ‘Missing Link’ in Human Migration may have been Found in Kaldar Cave

3 April 2021

3 April 2021

Kaldar cave is an important archaeological site that provides evidence for the transition from the Middle and Upper Paleolithic Ages...

3D Technology Reveals 2,000-Year-Old Gladiator Graffiti and Love Messages in Pompeii

21 January 2026

21 January 2026

For more than two centuries, the walls of Pompeii have been studied, photographed, and catalogued. Yet new research shows that...