Ancient 'Door to the Afterlife' Discovered in Egyptian Prince's Tomb

Archaeologists exploring a 4,400-year-old ancient Egyptian tomb have made a stunning discovery. In the catacombs of a prince named Userefre (unknown until this discovery), they found a large false door made of pink granite – the largest ever found in Egypt. At 4.5 metres high and 1.2 metres wide, the door resembles a functional door, but does not actually open.

Experts believe the false gates in the tomb had deep spiritual significance, serving as a symbolic portal through which the deceased's soul could travel to the afterlife.

These "gates" demonstrate how much time and resources were spent to achieve eternal peace, writes the Daily Mail.

The discovery at Egypt's Saqqara necropolis was made during excavations led by Dr Zahi Hawass, a former Minister of Antiquities. The door is decorated with hieroglyphic inscriptions detailing Prince Userefre's impressive titles, including "Crown Prince, Governor of the Buto and Nekhbet Regions, Royal Scribe, Minister, Judge, and Priest-Singer."

The prince, also named Prince Waser-If-Re according to inscriptions, was the son of King Userkaf, founder of the Fifth Dynasty of Egypt. Despite his many titles, the prince and his tomb were previously unknown to scholars.

"Before this discovery, we didn't even know it existed," says Ronald Leprohon, professor emeritus of Egyptology at the University of Toronto.

Dr Melanie Pitkin, from the University of Cambridge, previously explained that the false doors were intended to act as portals that allowed the life force – or "ka" – of the deceased to move between the grave and the afterlife and back again.

"Family members and priests would come to the tomb where the false door was and recite the deceased's name, his or her achievements, and leave offerings," she explains. "Then the deceased's ka would magically move between the burial chamber and the afterlife. It would come and take food, drink, and offerings from the grave to sustain itself in the afterlife."

Near the false door, archaeologists also found 13 high-backed chairs, each with statues carved from pink granite.

Most of the false doors found in Egyptian tombs are made of limestone, which was plentiful at the time, the Daily Mail notes. Pink and red granite was rare and had to be quarried and transported from Aswan, about 400 miles away. As a result, it was reserved for royalty.

The impressive size of this false door reflects Prince Userefre's high status in the royal hierarchy.

Archaeologists also found a red granite offering table measuring 92.5 cm in diameter with texts carved into it describing ritual sacrifices. The tomb also contained a massive black granite statue of a standing man measuring 1.17 m in height.

The owner of this statue, whose name was engraved on its chest, appears to be from a later time period, indicating that the tomb may have been reused.

Scientists working at the site are still trying to find the prince's actual burial chamber.