Archaeologists exploring a mysterious tomb in Egypt were in for a surprise when they discovered more than 1,000 statues and eight mummies, the Associated Press reported.
The incredible haul was found in an ancient noble's tomb on the west bank of the Nile River in Luxor.
Little is known about who the mummies belong to, but the team says it expects to find even more statues as the dig continues.
'There are 10 coffins and eight mummies. The excavation is ongoing,' said Mostafa Waziri, the head of the archaeological mission.
The 18th Dynasty tomb, discovered in the Draa Abul Nagaa necropolis near the famed Valley of the Kings, belonged to a nobleman named Userhat who worked as the city judge, the ministry said in a statement.
It was opened to add more mummies during the 21st Dynasty, about 3,000 years ago, to protect them during a period when tomb-robbing was common, said Waziri, the head of the archaeological mission, at the site.
'It was a surprise how much was being displayed inside the tomb', Antiquities Minister Khaled el-Enany told reporters outside the tomb.
'We found a large number of Ushabti (small carved figurines), more than 1,000 of them,' Mr Enany said.
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