Egypt unveils 17 mummies in Minya: ministry

Egyptian archaeologists have discovered on Saturday 17 mummies in catacombs in Minya province, in central Egypt, the antiquities ministry announced on Saturday.

"We found catacombs containing a number of mummies," said Salah al-Kholi, a Cairo University professor of Egyptology who headed the mission that made the discovery in a press conference.

The new discovery was unearthed in Touna el-Gabal district, which is a desert area in Minya province, 234 km far from Cairo.

"This is the first human necropolis found in central Egypt with so many mummies," Antiquities Minister Khaled el-Anany told a news conference at the site.

"Such big number of discovered mummies revealed that there will be a large necropolis behind the shafts," the minister added.

A team from Cairo University supervises the mission of the new discovery. The area dates back to the Greco-Roman period between the third century BC and third century AD.

Al-Kholi pointed out that the necropolis was a subject for scavenging by antiquities thieves.

Chairman of Cairo University, Gaber Nassar, said "we will continue to fund the antiquities discoveries in Touna el-Gabal district, and turn it into an important center at the tourist map of Egypt."

The first discovery in Touna el-Gabal was announced in 1931. Endit