The Ancient Egyptian Civilization
The ancient Egyptian civilization has always been filled with tension and mystery. Welcome, dear readers, to a new adventure into the city of the dead, the cemetery districts, and the exalted spirits of Upper Egypt.
Today, our tour leads through the “Catacombs of Tuna al-Jabal.”
In Middle Egypt, specifically in Upper Egypt, in the Minya region, lies the ancient city of Tuna al-Jabal, whose official deity in ancient Egypt was Thoth.
Are you ready for an exciting adventure? Let’s go!
In Tuna al-Jabal, you will find a perfectly preserved underground city, discovered only in 1935. This place was called the “Cemetery of the Exalted Spirits” or the “Catacombs of Mystery and Excitement” and is a cemetery for sacred birds and animals. The entrance leads through a small gate into a vestibule about 15 meters high — almost unimaginable.
This is a vast network of tunnels carved into the rock, dedicated to the burial of all sacred ibis birds. The ibis birds and the sacred baboon monkey are symbols of the god Thoth, symbols of wisdom and knowledge in ancient Egypt. They were buried as offerings. It is said that all archaeological missions so far have failed to determine the total number of tunnels, and the end has never been reached due to breathing difficulties underground. The site includes four crypts. The first crypt was dedicated to the burial of ibises and other birds. It consists of a main street running from north to south, intersected in the middle by another street running east to west. Spacious halls on both sides were dedicated to the owners of the birds to be buried.
The third crypt contains a large number of mummified baboons. In this crypt is a limestone hut with a portrait of King Ptolemy III at the entrance, as well as a cartouche with his name. Doors are depicted on the hut that allowed souls to enter and exit, returning to the ibises and baboons. At the end of the hut is a mummified monkey. Inside, you will also find a limestone statue of a baboon connected by a long corridor to a fourth crypt on the west side. Monkeys and birds are placed in niches on both sides of the corridors, and each niche has a stone tablet with the name of the bird or monkey, its species, the owner’s name, and the cause of death. Most corridors are closed with iron gates out of fear that visitors might get lost and not find their way back.
The catacombs also contain a coffin of the priest “Ankh-Hor,” the priest of the god Thoth. He lived during the 26th dynasty. The coffin lid alone weighs about 8 tons. The mummy was transferred to the Egyptian Museum, while the stone coffin remains there. The vaults were full of treasures that were unfortunately destroyed or stolen. This is an indication that the region still holds many secrets.