Egypt has unveiled a cache of 75 wooden and bronze statues as well as animal mummies - including cats, crocodiles and lion cubs - at the Saqqara necropolis near the Giza pyramids. The Antiquities Ministry announced the find on Saturday at the foot of the Bastet Temple, dedicated to the worship of cats among ancient Egyptians.
Antiquities Minister Khaled El-Enany described the discovery as "a [whole] museum by itself".
The Saqqara plateau hosted at least 11 pyramids, including the Step Pyramid, along with hundreds of tombs of ancient officials, ranging from the 1st Dynasty (2920 BC-2770 BC) to the Coptic period (395-642).
The Saqqara discovery is the latest in a series of new finds that Egypt has sought to publicise in an effort to revive its key tourism sector, which was badly hit by the turmoil that followed the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime ruler Hosni Mubarak.
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