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Egypt Displays Ancient Tombs in Saqqara

Walls decorated with hieroglyphic inscriptions and images of sacred animals are seen at a recently discovered tomb near the famed Step Pyramid, in Saqqara, south of Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, March 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Sayed Hassan)
Walls decorated with hieroglyphic inscriptions and images of sacred animals are seen at a recently discovered tomb near the famed Step Pyramid, in Saqqara, south of Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, March 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Sayed Hassan)
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Egypt Displays Ancient Tombs in Saqqara

Walls decorated with hieroglyphic inscriptions and images of sacred animals are seen at a recently discovered tomb near the famed Step Pyramid, in Saqqara, south of Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, March 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Sayed Hassan)
Walls decorated with hieroglyphic inscriptions and images of sacred animals are seen at a recently discovered tomb near the famed Step Pyramid, in Saqqara, south of Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, March 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Sayed Hassan)

Egypt on Saturday displayed recently discovered, well-decorated ancient tombs at a Pharaonic necropolis just outside the capital Cairo.

The five tombs were unearthed earlier this month and date back to the Old Kingdom — a period spanning roughly from around 2700 BC to 2200 B.C., as well as to the First Intermediate Period, which lasted for over a century after the Old Kingdom collapsed, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said Egyptian archeologists started excavating the site in September. The Associated Press quoted him as saying that the tombs were for senior officials including regional rulers and palace supervisors in ancient Egypt.

“All of those five tombs are well-painted, well-decorated. Excavations did not stop. We are planning to continue our excavations. We believe that we can find more tombs in this area,” he told reporters at the site.

The tombs were found near the Step Pyramid of Djoser, in the Saqqara Necropolis, 24 kilometers southwest of Cairo.

Footage shared on the ministry’s social media pages showed burial shafts leading to the tombs. Walls were seen decorated with hieroglyphic inscriptions and images of sacred animals and after-life items used by ancient Egyptians.

The Saqqara site is part of a sprawling necropolis at Egypt’s ancient capital of Memphis that includes the famed Giza Pyramids as well as smaller pyramids at Abu Sir, Dahshur and Abu Ruwaysh. The ruins of Memphis were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1970s.

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Thailand, Malaysia Brace for Fresh Wave of Floods as Water Levels Ease

An aerial view shows houses surrounded by floodwaters after heavy rain in Tumpat, Malaysia's Kelantan state on December 2, 2024. (AFP)
An aerial view shows houses surrounded by floodwaters after heavy rain in Tumpat, Malaysia's Kelantan state on December 2, 2024. (AFP)
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Thailand, Malaysia Brace for Fresh Wave of Floods as Water Levels Ease

An aerial view shows houses surrounded by floodwaters after heavy rain in Tumpat, Malaysia's Kelantan state on December 2, 2024. (AFP)
An aerial view shows houses surrounded by floodwaters after heavy rain in Tumpat, Malaysia's Kelantan state on December 2, 2024. (AFP)

Malaysia and Thailand are facing a second wave of heavy rain and potential flooding this week, authorities said on Monday, even as some displaced residents were able to return home and the worst floods in decades began receding in some areas.

Since last week, 27 people have died and more than half a million households in the neighboring Southeast Asian countries have been hit by torrential rain and flooding that authorities say have been the most severe in decades.

The immediate situation has improved in some areas and water levels have eased, according to government data on Monday.

In Malaysia, the number of people in evacuation shelters dropped to around 128,000 people, from 152,000 on Sunday, the disaster management agency's website showed.

The northeastern state of Kelantan, which has been the worst hit, was expected to face a fresh deluge from Dec. 4, the chief minister's office said in a Facebook post on Sunday.

"Although floodwater trends show a slight decrease, (the chief minister) stressed that vigilance measures must remain at the highest level," the post said.

Meanwhile, in southern Thailand, 434,000 households remain affected, the country's interior ministry said in a statement on Monday, down by about 100,000 from the weekend.

The government has provided food and supplies for those in the flood-hit areas, the ministry said, adding water levels in seven provinces were decreasing.

Thailand's Meteorological Department said people in the country's lower south should beware of heavy to very heavy rains and possible flash flooding and overflows, especially along foothills near waterways and lowlands, between Dec. 3-5.