The new tomb is located in Saqarra, a popular area that is a necropolis, or massive cemetery. (© Leonid Andronov - Dreamstime.com)
Have you gone to the new Egyptian tomb that just opened? It's so rad!
Okay, so perhaps that isn't the catch-up conversation that everyone has been having at the start of this new school year. But in a history-loving alternate universe, it would be. (And we'd dig it!) That's because last week, a 4,300 year-old Egyptian tomb was opened to the public.
One of the six chambers inside the tomb. (Getty Embed)
The tomb in question belonged to a senior official in the Egyptian royal family named Mehu. Though he wasn't a ruler himself, he was a very important person in his day. He lived in the Sixth Dynasty of Egypt, under the pharaoh, Pepi I, and he had 48 different titles and helped to direct affairs at the palace.
Mehu's tomb, which also contained the remains of his son and grandson, is found in the Saqqara necropolis, a major attraction for tourists. It's a beautiful artifact of ancient Egyptian civilization.
And its recent opening is no accident.
Come one, come all ... please!
Feast your eyes, Egyptology fans! (Getty Embed)
Mehu's tomb was first found in 1940—78 years ago! So why did it just open to the public now?
Because Egypt's tourism industry has been in a bit of a slump since 2011. That was the year of the so-called Arab Spring. This was a series of protests across the Arab world in several countries—including Egypt, Syria, Libya, and more—that led to mass protests, governments being overthrown, and, in some cases, civil war.
In Egypt's case, this revolution had a damaging effect on tourism, which was bad news for the country. After all, we're talking about a country with one of the most well-known ancient civilizations on the planet! From the Great Sphinx to the Pyramids of Giza to Alexandria and the Valley of the Kings, it's pretty tough to beat the monuments Egypt can offer. Tourism was and is a huge part of the country's economy.
By opening this new attraction to the public, the government hopes to turn things around. It's certainly something that we'd like to see up close and in person. But for now, we'll just have to be happy to gawk at these photos!
Amazing to think that these paintings are over 4,000 years old! (Getty Embed)
that is awesome! i love ancient history 😀