Egyptian antiquities authorities unveiled a newly discovered burial site, showing seven tombs belonging to a Ptolemaic era family, South of Cairo.

The recent discovery of mummified cats in a well-preserved tomb probably shouldn't be surprising. It's a long-established fact that ancient Egyptians loved cats.

Over 50 mummies of men, women and children line the inner walls of each tomb, as well as a variety of mummified animals, namely mice and falcons.

Two mummies, of a 35-50-year-old woman and her child, 12-14-year-old boy, were on display outside one of the tombs, the Tomb of Tutu.

Paintings inside the Tomb of Tutu were almost fully preserved, among other objects such as tools used for lighting and ornaments used to decorate mummification cloths.

Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anani says that the newly discovered burial site will shed light on the area of al-Dayabat, an area that is "not very known", and will offer great propaganda for the area of Sohag.

The tomb is colourfully painted and well-preserved — and Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, called it "one of the most exciting discoveries ever in the area."

Quoted by Reuters, Waziri said that the tomb contains a lobby and a burial room with two stone coffins. It is said to have been built for a man named Tutu and his wife. The area outside the burial chamber also contained mummies of a woman and a boy between 12 and 14 years old.