(20 Sep 2012) Egypt on Thursday reopened the ancient Serapeum of Saqqara in Alexandria after over a decade of restoration work.
The site is a tunnel of underground tombs dedicated to the bulls of Apis, thought in ancient Egyptian times to be the earthly incarnations of gods.
The site contains vast galleries holding the tombs of the sacred bulls, accompanied by hieroglyphics containing information on the reigns under which the animals lived.
Reopening the tombs, Minister of state for Antiquities affairs Doctor Mohammad Ebrahim said the Serapeum had a "a unique place in Egyptian civilisation".
"There are galleries here, the great galleries and small galleries where the Apis bulls were buried starting from the 18th dynasty until the Greek Roman time," he said.
"I think it's great to show everybody outside of Egypt that we are still working to consolidate to protect our monuments and also to say for everybody that Egypt is safe," he added.
The tombs were lost for centuries until they were discovered by French archaeologist August Mariette in the 1850's.
They were closed for restoration in 2001 and the work was completed in 2011.
The walls and ceilings of the tombs and corridors have been consolidated as some sections were partially deteriorated.
Steel scaffolding was also installed to maintain the Serapeum's vaulted ceilings which were threatened with collapse.
The tombs of Ptahhotep and Mereruka, two ancient noblemen, have also been opened after restoration.
The tomb of Ptahhotep also contains that of his father Akhethotep while Mereruka is buried with his wife and son.
The Serapeum was designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979.

Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ] ​​
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]


You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]

свернуть