Ancient secrets revealed: Egypt discovers Prince Waserif Re's tomb, King Djoser's statue in Saqqara

Egypt Today

18-04-2025

CAIRO - 18 April 2025: A joint Egyptian mission has discovered the tomb of Prince Waserif Re, son of King Userkaf, the founder of the ancient Egypt's fifth dynasty, in the Saqqara archaeological area, southwest of Giza.
Renowned archaeologist and former Minister of Antiquities Zahi Hawass noted that the mission discovered statues of King Djoser, along with his wife and ten daughters, according to a statement by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities on Friday.
Preliminary studies indicate that these statues were originally located in a chamber adjacent to the Step Pyramid of King Djoser and were later relocated to the tomb of Prince Waserif Re during the Late Period.
The mission will continue its work to uncover the reasons behind this transfer.
The mission, comprising the Supreme Council of Antiquities and the Dr. Zahi Hawass Foundation for Antiquities and Heritage, has also unveiled numerous prominent artifacts from both the Old Kingdom and later periods.
Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, highlighted that this is the first time a false door made of pink granite of such size—measuring 4.5 meters in height and 1.15 meters in width—has been found.
The door is adorned with hieroglyphic inscriptions detailing the prince's name and titles, including "heir prince."
Additionally, the team discovered a red granite offering table with a diameter of 92.5 cm, inscribed with lists of offerings.
Within one chamber of the tomb, a massive black granite statue, standing at 1.17 meters tall, was uncovered. This statue bears hieroglyphic inscriptions revealing the name and titles of its owner, which appears to date back to the 26th Dynasty, suggesting the tomb may have been reused during the Late Period.
In front of the eastern facade, another entrance to the tomb was found along with a cartouche of King Neferirkare.
Notably, to the north of the lintel, the team uncovered a unique find in Saqqara: a collection of 13 seated statues made of pink granite on a high-backed bench.
The mission also found heads of statues positioned higher than the others, representing the wives of the tomb owner seated in the center, with two headless statues flanking them.
In front of these statues, another black granite statue was discovered, lying face down, about 1.35 meters tall.
The excavation team will continue its efforts to reveal more elements of this unique tomb, marking a significant addition to the archaeological treasures of the area.