How the discovery of 2600-year-old mummies can revive Egypt's tourism industry

At a time when Egypt is desperately looking for ways to boost its tourism industry, a stunning discovery has been made in the land of pharaohs. It is learnt that some mummies believed to be almost 2,600 years old have been found in Egypt. 

A cache of 59 coffins containing the mummies was discovered from a sealed well in the vast Saqqara necropolis, south of Cairo. The coffins contain the mummies of priests and clerks from Egypt's 26th ruling dynasty. 

"I'm very proud that this discovery of today with 59 wooden coffins in perfect condition of preservation was done by an Egyptian mission and Egyptian hands. This discovery, the entire 59 wooden coffins, will be displayed in the Grand Egyptian Museum," said Mostafa al-Waziri, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.

The first batch of these new coffins was discovered in September and are part of a series of major finds located in Saqqara in the recent past.

Saqqara is part of the ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis, which is a UNESCO world heritage site. 

Notably, the condition of these coffins is also good.

Egyptian antiquity minister expressed hope that more coffins will be found in the future. "Today is not the end of the discovery. I consider that it's the beginning of a big discovery," said Khaled El-Enany, Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquity.

These coffins would be placed for public display in a grand museum in Giza, which has been under construction for a long time now. It is expected that the museum will open in 2021.