The prince’s grave in Saqqara

Archaeologists discovered the tomb of Userefre, the founder of the Fifth Dynasty, in the Saqqara necropolis in Egypt, and Userefre, the founder of the Fifth Dynasty (2465-2458 B.C.). The grave contains a huge fake door made of pink granite, 4.5 meters high and 1.15 meters wide (14.8 x 3.8 feet). This is the first pink granite door of a huge size ever made in Egypt.

The false door is a common feature in ancient Egyptian tombs. They are the threshold between the world of life and the afterlife, and only the souls of the dead can enter and set out. Losing a loved one will stay in front of the door. During this period in Egyptian history, fake doors were made mainly from limestone and were easily available throughout the country. Pink and red granite, on the other hand, can only be sourced in Aswan, 400 miles south of Saqqara, and it is difficult to quarreate and is very heavy to transport. Only the nobles could afford it, which proves the importance of Userefre, that he possessed such a huge pink granite, carved on the false doors of his tomb.

Userefre’s fake door is covered with hieroglyphs, identifying him by name and many of his titles, including “hereditary prince”, “governor of Buto and Nekheb”, “Royal scribe”, “Vizier”, “Vizier”, “Judge”, “Chanding” and “Canting Priest”. The round flats on the door front floor of the remaining offerings are also made of pink granite with hieroglyphs engraved on them. Near the door is a piece of red granite with a table of 92.5 cm (3 feet) in diameter engraved with a list of ritual products.

Another unprecedented discovery is a statue group that depicts his wife Djoser and his ten daughters. These are not the originals of the tomb. They moved there from a room near Step Pyramid in Djoser for unknown reasons. A black granite statue of a male was also transported from elsewhere to the grave 1.17 meters (3.8 feet). Its sculptural style shows that it dates back to the 26th Dynasty (688-525 B.C.), archaeologists believe that at some point during the 26th Dynasty, the djoser group and black granite statues were moved to the grave.

So far, only a portion of the tombs have been discovered. The excavation is underway and the team hopes to find the burial room as soon as possible.