An extraordinary archaeological discovery led by Dr. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary General of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, has brought to light the 4,400-year-old tomb of Prince Waserif Ra, son of Pharaoh Userkaf, the founder of Egypt’s Fifth Dynasty. Unearthed in the necropolis of Saqqara, south of Cairo, the site is astonishing experts with its monumental architecture, rare inscriptions, and a suite of statues never before seen in this form—raising new questions about royal burials and cultural memory in Egypt’s Old Kingdom.
A Monumental Doorway Into the Afterlife
At the center of the tomb stands a 4.5-meter-tall false door, carved entirely from pink granite—a material typically reserved for the highest elite. Engraved in intricate hieroglyphs, the structure identifies the prince as a crown prince, royal scribe, minister, judge, regional governor, and priest. According to Dr. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary General of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, this is the first false door of this size and material ever discovered in the Saqqara region.
False doors in Egyptian tombs were symbolic gateways between the worlds of the living and the dead, allowing offerings and spiritual communication. This massive specimen not only demonstrates the prince’s importance, but also Egypt’s evolving relationship with tomb architecture and funerary ideology.
Royal Statues Recovered, but the Heads Are Missing
Archaeologists also unearthed a group of headless granite statues, believed to depict Pharaoh Zoser, his wife, and their ten daughters. These statues were likely relocated from Zoser’s nearby Step Pyramid complex, though the reason for their transfer into Waserif Ra’s tomb remains a mystery.
This reuse raises important questions: was this tomb intended as a dynastic shrine, or did later rulers repurpose it to honor or co-opt royal memory? Either way, the presence of these statues deepens the site’s complexity and its significance across multiple reigns.
Hidden Chambers and a Statue Lineup Never Seen Before
A second entrance to the tomb was revealed on the eastern side, flanked by two granite columns etched with Waserif Ra’s full list of titles and a cartouche of King Neferefre. Even more intriguing was the discovery of 13 seated statues, each carved from pink granite and arranged on high-backed benches.
This formation—unearthed for the first time in Saqqara—is believed to represent either a royal court or an ancestral gathering, lending powerful insight into elite funerary symbolism during Egypt’s early dynastic period.
(Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities)
A Long-Lived Tomb With a Layered Legacy
Further inside the tomb, archaeologists found a red granite offering table, listing sacrificial goods, alongside a black granite statue believed to date from the 26th Dynasty—over 1,000 years after the tomb was built. Measuring 1.17 meters, this reused artifact suggests the tomb may have served multiple generations and possibly ritualistic functions long after Waserif Ra’s burial.
Saqqara has long been known for reused burial spaces, where later dynasties often restored or reappropriated ancient tombs to preserve links to Egypt’s golden age.
Recognition and Ongoing Excavation
The find is being hailed as a national archaeological milestone. Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Sharif Fathi, praised the work of the Supreme Council of Antiquities and the Zahi Hawass Foundation for Archaeology and Heritage, whose partnership led to the discovery.
With excavation efforts still in progress, the tomb is expected to yield even more details in the coming months. Early indications suggest further statues, inscriptions, and ritual features lie beneath the surface.
