CAIRO, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's Antiquities Ministry said Tuesday that it has uncovered a sandstone sarcophagus with a mummy inside during excavation works near Aga Khan Mausoleum on the west bank of Upper Egypt's province of Aswan.
"The mummy inside the sarcophagus is wrapped in linen and in a very good conservation condition," Mostafa Waziri, the secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said in a statement.
Waziri pointed out that more studies are needed to identify the owner of the discovered sarcophagus.
The sarcophagus was found with a couple of tombs with walls decorated with scenes depicting several deities such as Isis, Hathor, and Anubis, according to him.
A fragmented collection of colored stone sarcophagus along with the remains of a wooden coffin inscribed with hieroglyphic text were also unearthed during the excavation works in the same site.
Abdel-Moneim Saeed, director of Aswan and Nubian antiquities authorities, believed that the tomb was used as a public burial site because it contained a large number of mummies which were buried haphazardly, unlike the tombs of kings and queens.
He told Xinhua that the new collection will be restored before being transferred to the Grand Museum in Cairo.
On Sunday, the same mission has uncovered a sandstone statue of a Sphinx during excavation works at the Kom Ombo temple in Aswan.
Saeed added that more archaeological studies will be conducted on the newly unearthed pieces to find more information about its history and the king it belongs to.
Egypt, one of the most ancient civilizations, has been working hard to preserve its archaeological heritage and discover the secrets of its ancient antiquities in a bid to revive the country's ailing tourism sector.
Tourism sector has suffered an acute recession over the past few years due to political turmoil and relevant security issues.
