Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities will announce the biggest archaeological discovery in 2020 at a press conference in the Saqqara Necropolis in the next few days.

Excavations conducted by the Egyptian archaeological mission working in the Saqqara Necropolis resulted in the discovery of new shafts containing a huge number of intact, painted anthropoid coffins.

The number of coffins exceeds that of the discovery announced in early October.

The shafts were closed for more than 2,500 years.

A number of gilded artefacts were also found, including wooden statues and coloured and gilded masks.

The Egyptian archaeological mission made throughout the past years a number of important archaeological discoveries in Saqqara, the last of which was unearthing 59 painted coffins with mummies in a good condition of top officials and priests from the 26th Dynasty.

The discovery was announced in an international press conference in early October.