Egypt opens 2 ancient pyramids for first time since 1960s

[Judi Lynn]

Updated 1:32 pm CDT, Saturday, July 13, 2019



Photo: Maya Alleruzzo, AP
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A member of an international delegation sketches the site of the Bent Pyramid during an event opening the pyramid and its satellites for visitors in Dashur, Egypt, Saturday, July 13, 2019. The Bent pyramid, listed on UNESCO's world heritage list as part of the Memphis necropolis, is considered a transition phase in pyramids construction that comes between step pyramids and complete pyramids.

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt on Saturday opened two of its oldest pyramids, located about 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of the capital Cairo, to visitors for the first time since 1965.

Antiquities Minister Khaled el-Anany told reporters that tourists were are now allowed to visit the Bent Pyramid and its satellite pyramid in the Dahshur royal necropolis, which is part of the Memphis Necropolis, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Bent Pyramid, which was built during the Old Kingdom of the Pharaoh of Sneferu, in about 2600 B.C., is unique in that it has two internal structures. El-Anany said the Bent Pyramid represents a transitional form of pyramid construction between the Djoser Step Pyramid (2667-2648 B.C.) and the Meidum Pyramid (also about 2600 B.C.)

El-Anany also announced that Egyptian archaeologists have uncovered a collection of stone, clay and wooden sarcophagi, some of them with mummies, in the area. He said archaeologists also found wooden funerary masks along with instruments used for cutting stones, dating to the Late Period (664-332 B.C.).

More:
https://www.chron.com/news/world/article/Egypt-opens-2-ancient-pyramids-for-first-time-14093383.php