A team of Egyptian archaeologists discovered a "distinctive group of 30 colored wooden coffins for men, women and children" in a cache at Al-Asasif cemetery on Luxor's west bank, an Egyptian antiquities official said at a press conference Saturday.
A brief statement from the ministry says Tuesday says archaeologists found the coffins in the Asasif Necropolis. The necropolis, located in the ancient town of West Thebes, includes tombs dating back to the Middle, New Kingdom and the Late Periods (1994 BCE to 332 BCE).
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The intricately carved and painted 3,000-year-old coffins were closed with mummies inside and were in "a good condition of preservation, color and complete inscriptions," the officials said.
The coffins will undergo restoration before being moved to a showroom at the Grand Egyptian Museum, due to open next year next to the Giza pyramids, the ministry said.
Photos from the ministry show colored coffins with inscriptions and paintings. The ministry described it as one of the "biggest and most important" discoveries in recent years.
The discovery is the latest in a series of major finds of ancient relics that Egypt hopes will revive its tourism sector, which has been badly hit by political instability since the 2011 uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak.
