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Unique Pharaonic funerary garden unearthed in Egypt's Luxor

Xinhua, May 3, 2017 Adjust font size:

An almost 4,000-year-old Pharaonic funerary garden was unearthed by a Spanish archaeological mission working in Upper Egypt's Luxor City, Egypt's antiquities ministry announced Wednesday.

The ministry said in a press release that the funerary garden, located in Draa Abul Nagaa necropolis, has been unearthed at the open courtyard of a rock-cut tomb of the Middle Kingdom, dating back 4000 years ago.

The layout of the garden measures 3 x 2 m and is divided into squares of about 30 cm wide, according to the statement.

"The discovery of the garden may shed light on the environment and gardening in ancient Thebes during the Middle Kingdom, around 2000 BCE," the statement read.

The ministry added that it probably had a symbolic meaning and must have played a role in the funerary rites.

"This discovery offers the archaeological confirmation of an aspect of ancient Egyptian culture and religion that was hitherto only known through iconography," the statement said.

The Spanish mission has been working 16 years in Draa Abul Naga, on the West Bank of Luxor, around the early 18th Dynasty rock-cut tombs of Djehuty and Hery (around 1500 to 1450 BCE).

As one of the most ancient civilizations, Egypt has been hard at work to preserve its archaeological heritages.

Also, in an attempt to revive the country's ailing tourism sector, which has suffered from an acute recession in the past few years due to political turmoil and security issues, Egypt is keen to uncover the Pharaohs' archaeological secrets as well as other ancient civilizations throughout the history of this country. Enditem