According to the VIII Ibero-American Congress of Egyptology held at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) from September 7 to 9, recent archaeological digs at Saqqara have uncovered three previously unknown mastabas dating back to the end of the fifth dynasty. Josep Cervelló, director of the mission, announced the discovery during his inaugural address at the university, detailing how the finds include an unusually double mastaba belonging to the royal official and judge Yunmin and his father, Iti.
Uncovering Ancient Secrets at the Saqqara Necropolis
Saqqara sits 30 kilometers south of Cairo and spans 10 square kilometers of desert as the largest and longest-used necropolis in Egypt, ranging from the first dynasty to the Coptic era. The site is anchored by the 4,650-year-old step pyramid of Djoser, according to event presentations. Unlike the heavily touristed Giza plateau, excavators like Cervelló work in the Mariette cemetery north of Djoser’s step pyramid, where high priests of Ptah from the Old Kingdom were buried. Field teams regularly unearth false-door stelae, lintels, and painted scenes of daily life, including depictions of loaded donkeys that retain their original pigments four millennia later.
Did you know? Jean-Philippe Lauer dedicated more than 70 years of his life to studying Saqqara, living in a small field house equipped with a telephone bearing the number 1, and even acting as a guide for historical figures such as Ho Chi Minh.
From Archaeological Digs to World War II Thrillers
The academic presentations at the UAB congress intersect unexpectedly with wartime espionage fiction, specifically Glenn Meade’s 2000 novel The Sands of Saqqara, published by Planeta. According to the novel’s plot details, the thriller centers on Operation Sphinx—a fictionalized Nazi assassination plot against U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill during the November 1943 Cairo Conference. The story weaves fictional characters together with historical figures like Otto Skorzeny and Count Almásy, drawing conceptual inspiration from real intelligence plans devised by Heinrich Himmler and Walter Schellenberg.
Historical Parallels and Real-World Explorations
While Meade’s novel places Skorzeny in captured Dakota C-47 transport planes flying parachutes toward Cairo and imagines Nazi commandos infiltrating through secret pharaonic passages near the Mena House hotel, the actual historical footprint of Germany in Saqqara dates much earlier. Prussian general Von Minutoli conducted the first exploration of the step pyramid in 1821, followed by Lepsius cataloging the site’s monuments, and Joseph Goebbels visiting the necropolis in April 1939. Decades later, Skorzeny’s actual post-war presence in Egypt aligned with Gamal Abdel Nasser’s rocket development programs rather than wartime commando raids.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What was discovered recently at Saqqara?
According to excavations presented by Josep Cervelló at the UAB congress, a mission found three unrecorded mastabas from the late fifth dynasty, including a double mastaba belonging to the royal official Yunmin and his father Iti. -
Who was Jean-Philippe Lauer?
Lauer was an architect who devoted over seven decades of his life to studying the Saqqara pyramid complex, arriving at the site in 1926. -
Is the plot of The Sands of Saqqara based on real events?
According to author Glenn Meade, the novel’s assassination plot draws on Operation Long Jump, a real wartime plan conceived by senior Nazi intelligence figures to target Allied leaders in Cairo.
If you enjoyed exploring the intersection of real archaeological discoveries and historical espionage, leave a comment below with your favorite archaeological thriller or explore our related archives for more deep dives into ancient history.
