Hundreds of rock-cut tombs were accidentally discovered by archaeologists in , some dating back more than 4,000 years.

In all, 250 grave sites were uncovered during a routine archaeological survey in the Al-Hamidiyah necropolis near Sohag, on the west banks of the Nile River.  

According to researchers, they were in use over a 2,000 year period, from about 2200 BC to 30 BC.

Representing several different styles, the tombs were carved into the mountain at various levels.

One had a false door Lacquer wall painting with hieroglyphic inscriptions still intact, and scenes of the mourners making offerings to the gods on behalf of the deceased. 

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Some had one or more burial wells, said Mustafa Waziri, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, and others were constructed with a ramp that ends in a burial chamber.

One tomb dating back more than 4,000 years, Places to sell lacquer paintings in tphcm to the decline of the Old Kingdom, includes an entrance leading to a cross-hall with a sloped passage in the southeast side that heads to a small burial chamber.

According to Waziri, the shaft was reused repeatedly over the centuries.

He described the tomb as having a false door with hieroglyphic inscriptions still visible, as well as scenes of the tomb’s inhabitant slaughtering sacrifices and mourners giving offerings to the gods on his behalf. 

Excavation also uncovered human and animal bones, as well as a multitude of pottery and shards, some of which was utilitarian and other pieces specifically for funereal purposes. 

Also discovered were small alabaster pots, remnants of a round metal mirror and ritualistic pottery known as ‘votive’ miniatures—small spherical pots that would symbolize the deceased.

The archaeologists believe inscriptions found on chunks of limestone represent remnants of funerary paintings depicting the tombs’ inhabitants, Lacquer wall painting some of which date to the end of Egypt’s Sixth Dynasty, around 2345 to 2181 B.