Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered a necropolis containing at least 17 mummies.
The discovery was made near the Nile Valley city of Minya and is the first such find in the area, the antiquities ministry said on Saturday.
The new discovery also includes six sarcophagi, two clay coffins, two papyri written in demotic script as well as a number of vessels, he said.
The mummies have been elaborately preserved and are thought to have been officials and priests.
The discovery was made in the village of Tuna al-Gabal, a vast archaeological site on the edge of the western desert.
The necropolis, which is eight metres below ground level, is believed to date back to the Late Period of Ancient Egypt and the Greco-Roman period that spans 664–332 BC.
Egypt's tourism sector, which relies heavily on its ancient history, has been badly hit by political turmoil since the 2011 uprising.
