Cat mummies unearthed in Cairo tombs
Archaeologists working in the Egyptian village of Saqqara, southeast of Cairo, have discovered seven tombs containing mummified cats.
The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities' Dr Khaled El-Enany announced that archaeologists found 100 ornate cat statues and dozens of mummified cats during an excavation of a pharaoh's 4,500-year-old pyramid complex in Saqqara, Cairo.
It is well-known that cats held a privileged place in Egyptian society.
The Ministry hopes announcing the discovery will attract more visitors to the country, which has experienced a lull in its tourism industry since 2011.
#Tens of #cats #mummies were unearthed in #Saqqara #necropolis along with 100 wooden #gilded #statues of #cats and a bronze one dedicated to the cat #goddess #bastet. pic.twitter.com/g0oSQPBhL8
— Ministry of Antiquities-Arab Republic of Egypt (@AntiquitiesOf) November 10, 2018
The pictures of the mummified cats are slightly disturbing to look at, but they do prove one thing: mummification can be effective for animals, too.
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#mummies of #cats #discoverd in #Saqqara (#Discovery pic.twitter.com/AFRNERfHBn
— Ministry of Antiquities-Arab Republic of Egypt (@AntiquitiesOf) November 10, 2018
The tomb, believed to date back 6,000 years to Fifth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom, also contained scarab mummies which "are the first of their kind to be found in the area", according to the head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, Mostafa Waziri.
Image: Ministry of Antiquities - Arab Republic of Egypt