Egypt uncovers 3,600-year-old Pharaonic burial chamber

An Egyptian archaeological mission uncovered the burial chamber of a recently-discovered 13th Dynasty pyramid discovered in Dahshur archaeological site in Giza province near the capital Cairo, the ministry of antiquities said in a statement on Wednesday.

The pyramid that was discovered in April is believed to belong to the 13th Dynasty that ruled ancient Egypt from 1803 to 1649 BC., more than 3,600 years ago.

"After removing the stones covering the burial chamber, the mission discovered a wooden box engraved with three hieroglyphic lines that are rituals to protect the deceased," said Adel Okasha, head of the mission and general director of Dahshur site.

For his part, Sherif Abdel-Moneim, assistant antiquities minister, revealed that the box once contained the four canopic jars of the deceased and the name engraved on it would be for the daughter of 13th Dynasty King Emnikamaw, whose pyramid is located 600 meters away.

The ministry's statement said that the wooden box also contained wrappings of the deceased's liver, stomach, intestines and lungs.

"Remains of an anthropoid sarcophagus has also been found but in a very bad conservation condition. Excavation works will continue to uncover more of the pyramid's secrets," the statement added.

Egypt has seen several big archeological discoveries this year.

Earlier this month, a Spanish team discovered remains of a nearly 4,000-year-old funerary garden outside a tomb in Upper Egypt's city of Luxor, known in ancient Egypt as Thebes and was the capital city.

In March, an Egyptian-German mission discovered three-milennia-old statue believed to be of ancient King Ramses II at Cairo district of Matariya.

Unearthed in two parts, the statue was moved to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo to be initially reassembled and restored before being transferred to its final destination at the Grand Egyptian Museum near the Great Pyramids of Giza that is scheduled to be opened in 2018. Enditem