Archaeologists have found a hall in a pharaonic tomb in the southern city of Luxor they said could yield important information on how ancient Egyptians dug their tombs.
The Egyptian-Spanish team discovered the hall at Zira Abu al-Naga on the west bank of the Nile, as it was excavating the tomb site, the secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Zahi Hawas, said Thursday.
They believe the tomb belonged to an official responsible for temple and tomb decorations during the rein of 18th dynasty (1580-1314 BC) Queen Hatshepsut, Hawas said.
The hall showed "more clearly how cemeteries were built during this dynasty - considered one of the most important of the new kingdom - compared to finds on the walls of other cemeteries."
The antiquities chief said that the 34-metre (112-foot) long hall, which opens into the tomb area, was one of the longest such rooms unearthed to date.
He added that the team found inscriptions on its walls and scenes that explain religious rituals practised by ancient Egyptians and show how they dug tombs.
Tombs of the 18th dynasty kings, mostly concentrated in the Valley of the Kings on west bank of the Nile, are unique in that they are carved out deep into the mountains, a practice copied by 19th dynasty rulers.
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