Egypt opens six ancient tombs to visitors

CAIRO, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's Minister of State for Antiquities Zahi Hawaas opened on Monday six ancient tombs to visitors in the Saqqara area, southwest of Cairo.

Hawaas said the tombs dated back to Egypt's New Kingdom period (1580 B.C. to 1150 B.C.) and included the famous tomb of Horemheb, a general who seized power at the end of the 18th Dynasty (1550 B. C. till 1292 B.C.), and "Maya" tomb, who was a minister of treasurer in the era of King Tut, official MENA news agency said.

The tombs have just undergone renovations.

"The renovation process included a detailed and architectural restoration of artifacts to their original places, in addition to covering the ceilings of the tombs to protect the walls and unique carvings and colors," Hawaas said.

Egypt has lost around two billion U.S. dollars in tourism revenues due to the political turmoil, which forced former president Hosni Mubarak to resign on Feb. 11.