Archaeologists discover new mummy burial site in Egypt

The artifacts found with mummies date back the era that started with Alexander the Great's conquest of Egypt. They were the first human mummies discovered in the area, a site rich in artifacts which lies near the Nile Valley city of Minya.

The eight-meter (9-yard) deep necropolis included six sarcophagi, two clay coffins, two papyri written in demotic script and several vessels. The mummies were elaborately preserved and were likely officials and priests.

At the edge of the necropolis, legs and feet of other mummies could be seen, pointing to a much bigger find. Excavation is still at the preliminary stage.

Egypt's economically-vital tourism industry has largely collapsed since the 2011 uprising against longtime dictator Hosny Mubarak. The Ministry of Antiquities said the latest finds were "as if our ancestors are sending a message for tourism to come back strongly."

The discovery comes after a series of important finds in Egypt. Eight mummies were uncovered inside a 3,500-year-old tomb in the southern city of Luxor in April. A month earlier, a massive colossus likely depicting the 26th dynasty King Psamtik I was unearthed in Cairo.

Salah al-Kholi, a Cairo University professor of Egyptology who headed the expedition, said his team found burial shafts and that excavation work "revealed that these shafts led to a number of corridors inside a cachette of mummies."

Kholi said the discovery was "the first human necropolis found in central Egypt with so many mummies." There could be as many as 32 mummies in the chamber, including mummies of women, children and infants.