© AFP/GettyThe entrance of the tomb found by Spanish archaeologists, who said the discovery would reveal new details about the 11th dynasty.
The wide surface of the tomb showed it was that of "someone from the royal family or a high-ranking statesman," the antiquities minister, Mohamed Ibrahim, said.
The Spanish team was led by José Galán, who said the tomb would provide new insights into the dynasty that ruled in Luxor, the modern site of the city of Thebes, which was then the capital of ancient Egypt.
"This discovery confirms the presence of many tombs from the 11th dynasty in the Deraa Abu Naga region," said Galán.
One tomb dating back to the same period was discovered in the area five years ago. It contained a red sarcophagus, a well-preserved mummy, as well as arrows and arches that are now on display in Luxor's museum.
"The tomb may have been used as a mass grave, given the high number of human remains [discovered in it]," Ali al-Asfar, an antiquities ministry official, said on Monday, referring to the newly discovered site.
But it was also used during the 17th dynasty as pottery tools and utensils from this period were discovered in the tomb, Asfar added.
Luxor, a city of some 500,000 people on the banks of the Nile in southern Egypt, is an open-air museum of intricate temples and pharaonic tombs.
Source: Agence France-Presse
So if this is a burial chamber, shouldn't it be in a pyramid? This doesn't look like one to me, and haven't we been told that that is what happened 'back in the day'? The pyramids look way cooler than this cave like structure, so what's up? Can't they at least throw a few dead bodies in some 'secret chamber' to make their lies look good? It's like they aren't even trying... but then why make the effort if no one is really paying attention them anyway? Guess I can see their point.