Netflix’s spine-chilling documentary ‘Secrets of Saqqara Tomb” uncovers the tomb of Wahtye, a new tomb found in Egypt 2020, which is believed to be the biggest discovery of the century.

check out some of the Wahtye tomb pictures below!

Source: National Geographic

Wahtye Meaning

But who was Wahtye? And why was he laid to rest in a separate tomb? 

Well, there are many jaw-dropping secrets that have now been unearthed after about 4,400 years. But one thing is for sure; these extraordinary revelations make a clear statement about the long-hidden reclamation of Egypt’s heritage and staggering beliefs!

Scroll down and discover five shocking facts about the tomb of Wahtye:

Wahtye was not a member of Egypt’s royal family, yet he still laid to rest in the royal cemetery…

When a small team of Egyptian archaeologists started digging at Saqqara necropolis, they wouldn’t have known what they were about to discover. Is it going to be something similar to mastaba of thi sakkara or different?

Wahtye’s tomb was incredibly well-preserved when it was discovered, archaeologists were astonished when they found 55 statues carved into its walls, making it the first and the only well-decorated tomb to be discovered in the Saqqara necropolis. 

Usually, such decorations were only reserved for the tombs of pharaohs, and the fact that Wahtye didn’t belong to the royal family caught most of the interest of archaeologists.

Soon they got to know that it was the tomb of a high-ranking priest and official who served under King Neferirkare Kakai during the Fifth Dynasty of Egypt.

This tomb is “one of a kind” in the last decades!

Source: National Geographic 

The fact that the tomb remained untouched for about 4,400 years, many experts referred to this burial as ‘one of a kind’ in the last decades. 

Wahtye’s tomb is 10 meters (33 ft.) long from north to south, and about 3 meters (9.8 ft.) wide. It contains five shafts, which were built around 2415-2405 BC.

How did the archaeologist figure out the tomb’s owner’s name?

The name of the deceased was carved into the walls everywhere. In addition to this, hieroglyphs were carved into the stone above the tomb’s door revealing his titles: “royal purification priest, royal supervisor, and inspector of the sacred boat.”

The reliefs of Wahtye’s wife and mother were also discovered in the tomb

Source: National Geographic 

There were reliefs of Wahtye himself, Weret Ptah, his wife, and Merit Meen, his mother, carved into the walls, along with everyday scenes that involved sailing, hunting, manufacturing goods and making offerings such as funerary furniture and pottery.

Priest and his family’s large painted statues were also discovered. Wahtye and his family were buried under wooden sarcophagi.

Wahtye and his family might have died from an epidemic

Source: history.com

The bones of the family found in the Whatye’s tomb were mostly distended, indicating that they had died from an epidemic. One hypothesis suggests that the priest and family had Malaria. 

He had three sons and a daughter

The names of Wahtye’s family were inscribed in his town; including his wife Weretptah, his mother Meretmin, his sons Seshemnefer, Keiemakhnetjer, Sebaib and a daughter named Seket.

The tomb had one opened, and four sealed shafts

Source: GettyImages

The team of Egyptian archaeologists found five shafts in the tomb. One was open and had nothing inside, while the others were perfectly sealed. 

A first-ever mummified lion cub has also been found in the tomb of Wahtye

Archaeologists found the first-ever mummified lion cub in the tomb within the walls of a temple belonged to the ancient cat goddess Bastet. This discovery was unprecedentedly staggering in terms of Egypt’s beliefs and about the kinds of animals that were buried in ancient Egypt.

If you’re curious to know more, do watch the documentary ‘The secrets of Saqqara Tomb,’ available on Netflix. Here’s some more information on Saqqara tomb discovery and Saqqara tomb secrets.