The Town of Sohag

The town of Sohag is located at the west bank of Nile, about 390 kilometers south of Cairo. It is the capital of Sohag Governorate. Around 2,00,000 people live in this region. There are a number of archaeological sites in this region.

The discovery

Reports came that smugglers were doing illegal digging in this region for unearthing artifacts. Thus, the Ministry of Antiquities, Egypt started surveying and excavating this region from the month of October 2018.

They discovered a beautiful tomb site near the town of Sohag during this survey. The tomb’s antiquity went back to the early Ptolemaic period, approximately 2,000 years ago. They also recovered six other tombs in the region.

The entrance of the burial chamber

Whom Does The Tomb Refer To?

The tomb refers to a man named ‘Tutu’ and his wife. The tomb has beautifully painted walls. These walls depict funeral possessions and images of the owner working in the fields. The family genealogy of Tutu is also written in Hieroglyphics.

The tomb is made up of a central lobby and a burial room with two stone coffins. The lobby is divided into two. In the burial room, there are images of the owner giving and receiving gifts before different gods and goddesses.

Paintings on the walls inside the tomb

The Mummies

Archaeologists recovered two mummies from the tomb. These are of a woman aged between 35 and 50 & a boy aged between 12 and 14. They were on display outside the shallow burial chamber.

The mummies of a boy and a woman

The Interesting Side of The Tomb

There is an interesting side in the discovery of this tomb. Because it has yielded dozens of mummified mice along with other animals (cats, bird, etc.) also. Archaeologists also uncovered a number of fragments of painted and decorative faces inside the tomb.

The mummified mice and other animals
Fragments of painted and decorative faces

According to the Secretary-General of Egypt’s Supreme Council of antiquities, Mostafa Waziri, the burial chamber is a beautiful and colorful tomb.

Mostafa Waaziri explaining the significance of the tomb’s beautiful wall paintings