A giant pink door has been discovered inside a 4,400-year-old tomb.
The tomb belonged to Prince Userefre, who was a son of the Egyptian pharaoh Userkaf, who reigned during Egypt’s Fifth Dynasty (circa 2465 to 2323 B.C.).
The stunning discovery was made by a joint team of Egyptian archaeologists.
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They were excavating a site within the Saqqara Necropolis, an ancient cemetery dotted with important pyramids and tombs, as part of ongoing research work, Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said in a Facebook post on 18 April.
A photo of the discovery shows an imposing ‘fake’ door, which measured almost 15ft tall and 4ft wide.
A false door is an artistic representation of a door which does not function like a real one.
They can be carved into a wall or painted on and they are a common architectural element in the tombs of ancient Egypt.
Egyptians believed that the soul of the deceased could freely enter and exit the tomb through such a door, as reported by Need To Know.
Dr Mohamed Ismail Khaled, a secretary-general in the group, claimed that this was the first time a false door made of pink granite of this magnitude had been found.
It had been decorated with inscriptions detailing the prince’s name and titles, including Hereditary Prince, Governor of the Buto and Nekhbet Regions, Royal Scribe, Minister, Judge, and Chanting Priest.
The inscriptions date back to the 26th dynasty, indicating that the tomb may have been reused years after Prince Userefre’s burial.
Dr Zahi Hawass, an archaeologist, said that the group also found a statue of King Djoser, who reigned before King Userkaf, his wife, and his 10 daughters inside the tomb.
King Userkaf was the founder and first king of Egypt’s fifth dynasty, making this discovery particularly significant for understanding royal lineages, experts said.
The joint Egyptian mission was led by the Supreme Council of Antiquities and the Zahi Hawass Foundation for Antiquities and Heritage.
Excavations are ongoing and the prince’s burial chamber has not yet been found.
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