Archaeologists Find a 6-Foot Sarcophagus Hidden Beneath a Forgotten Staircase

A joint Egyptian-Italian archaeological mission has uncovered one of the most striking tombs yet found near the Aga Khan Mausoleum on Aswan’s west bank. The discovery centres on Tomb No. 38, a Greco-Roman burial cut into the hillside and reached through a nine-step stone staircase.

Inside, archaeologists found a limestone sarcophagus roughly six feet tall, placed on a platform carved directly from the rock. The tomb belonged to Ka-Mesiu, a high-ranking official whose name and status were preserved in hieroglyphic inscriptions, turning a hidden chamber into a detailed record of life, death and identity in ancient southern Egypt.