El-Assasif (Arabic: العساسيف) is a necropolis near Luxor on the West Bank at Thebes, Egypt, Upper Egypt. It is located in the dry bay that leads up to Deir el-Bahari and south of the necropolis of Dra' Abu el-Naga'.
El-Assasif contains burials from the 18th, 22nd, 25th and 26th dynasties of ancient Egypt, covering the period c. 1550 to 525 BC across all three dynasties.
Archaeology[edit]
In November 2018, France's University of Strasbourg announced the discovery of two sarcophagi thought to be more than 3,500 years old with two perfectly preserved mummies and approximately 1,000 funerary statues in the Assasif valley near Luxor. One of the tombs with paintings where the female body found, was opened to the public in front of the international media, but the other one was previously opened by Egyptian antiquities officials.[1][2]
In October 2019, 30 coffins (3.000 year-old) were uncovered and presented, dating back to the Twenty-second Dynasty by the Egyptian archaeological mission in front of the Hatshepsut Temple.[3] The coffins contain mummies of 23 adult males, five adult females and two children. The condition of the cachette is said to be exceptionally good, with many of the coffins sealed and intact, with high quality painting and preservation. According to archaeologist Zahi Hawass, mummies were decorated with mixed carvings and designs, including scenes from Egyptian gods, hieroglyphs, and the Book of the Dead, a series of spells that allowed the soul to navigate the afterlife. Some of the coffins had the names of the dead engraved on them.[4][5][6][7]
Notable burials[edit]
18th Dynasty[edit]
- TT192 – Kharuef
- AT28 – Vizier Amenhotep-Huy
- TT188 – Parennefer
22nd Dynasty[edit]
Cachette currently under investigation and restoration
25th Dynasty[edit]
- TT34 – Mentuemhet
- TT37 – Harwa
26th Dynasty[edit]
- TT27 – Sheshonq
- TT33 – Padiamenope
- TT36 – Ibi
- TT279 – Pabasa
- TT389 – Basa
- TT410 – Mutirdis
- TT414 – Ankhhor
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Ancient Egyptian tomb unveiled". BBC News. 2018-11-24. Retrieved 2021-01-31.
- ^ "Ancient tomb unveiled in Egypt". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2021-01-31.
- ^ "Rare discovery of 30 coffins at Assasif necropolis in Luxor". Egypt Today. 19 October 2019.
- ^ Alaa Elassar (20 October 2019). "Egypt unveils discovery of 30 ancient coffins with mummies inside". CNN. Retrieved 2020-09-17.
- ^ "Egypt archaeologists find 20 ancient coffins near Luxor". BBC News. 2019-10-16. Retrieved 2020-09-17.
- ^ "Archaeologists discover 30 ancient coffins in Luxor". The Guardian. Reuters. 2019-10-19. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-09-17.
- ^ Beachum, Lateshia. "Archaeologists discover more than 20 sealed coffins just as the ancient Egyptians left them". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2020-09-17.
| Temple sites |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Necropolis | ||
| Other burials | ||
| Related articles | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
