Egypt opens six ancient tombs to promote tourism

Egypt, which has lost around $2 billion in tourism revenue due to the political turmoil, has now opened six ancient tombs to visitors.

Cairo: Egypt, which has lost around $2 billion in tourism revenue due to the political turmoil which forced president Hosni Mubarak to resign, has now opened six ancient tombs to visitors.

Minister of State for Antiquities Zahi Hawaas said the tombs in Saqqara area, southwest of Cairo, dated back to the New Kingdom period (1580 B.C. to 1150 B.C.), Xinhua reported. The tombs also include that of Horemheb, a general who seized power at the end of the 18th Dynasty (1550 B.C. to 1292 B.C.), and the tomb of Maya, who was a minister in the era of King Tut, the official MENA news agency said. The tombs had just undergone renovation, including architectural restoration of artefacts to their original places, Hawaas said. IANS