A joint expedition undertaken by Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities and Heritage Foundation founded by Dr. Zahi Hawass has uncovered a previously unknown tomb in the Saqqara necropolis. The monument, dating back to the Old Kingdom, belonged to Userefre, the heir of pharaoh Userkaf of the Fifth Dynasty (25^th century BC). Among other finds in the tomb was a massive false door measuring 4.5 m in height and 1.15 m in width, made of pink granite quarried in Aswan. The ancient Egyptians believed such doors allowed the soul of the deceased to leave and return to the tomb freely. The door is inscribed with Userefre’s numerous titles. According to the head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, Mohamed Ismail Khaled, this is the first time such a large false door made of granite has been discovered at the Saqqara necropolis.

Also found inside the tomb was a statue from the reign of the Twenty Sixth Dynasty (c. 688–525 BC) depicting pharaoh Djoser of the Third Dynasty (27^th century BC), who built the famous Step Pyramid in Saqqara, shown together with his wife and ten daughters. Zahi Hawass called the discovered statue a unique example of Third Dynasty sculpture, unmatched by any previous finds in Saqqara. The question of why the statue of Djoser and his family was relocated to Userefre’s tomb remains unanswered.

According to a statement from the Egyptian Antiquities Service, Userefre’s burial chamber has not yet been found, raising hopes for further discoveries during the study of this ancient monument.

According to Oikoumene’s Editorial Board Member Alexei A. Krol, who is a Senior Researcher at Moscow State University Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology, archaeological discoveries at the Saqqara necropolis are typically sensational events in Egyptian archaeology, as this is where rulers of the Predynastic Period built their tombs (or cenotaphs) and where the kings of the Third and Fifth Dynasties of the Old Kingdom erected their pyramids. This latest discovery by renowned archaeologist Zahi Hawass, the Former Head of the Egyptian Antiquities Organisation, is no exception. Sculptural depictions from the Third Dynasty are extremely rare. The royal portrait discovered in a Fifth Dynasty tomb, along with sculptural images of the ruler’s wife and daughters, are of exceptional importance.

Sources: https://egymonuments.gov.eg/en/news/discovery-of-the-tomb-of-prince-userefre-son-of-king-userkaf

https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/ancient-egyptians/tomb-of-ancient-egyptian-prince-discovered-at-saqqara-and-it-has-a-giant-false-pink-door