In particular, we will begin by excavating the monumental mastabas of the high priests Ranefer (5th Dynasty) and Sabu Tjety (6th Dynasty). The latter is a particularly important individual. We know him from a unique document: part of his funerary false-door stele, which contains his titles and his “autobiography” inscribed on it. The large stele precisely comes from his tomb at Saqqara and is now kept in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The director of the Mission, Josep Cervelló, has already had the opportunity to work with his unique document in 2022. Indeed, shortly after its discovery by Mariette, part of the inscribed surface had broken off from the main block and split into four fragments that had been lost in the Museum’s cluttered storerooms. After a painstaking search, with the invaluable assistance of the Museum’s director at the time, Dra. Sabah Abdelrazek, and the curators of the Basement, the four fragments were recovered and the monument restored. It is now back on display in the Museum’s galleries dedicated to the Old Kingdom and has been the subject of an article in the prestigious Revue d’Égyptologie.
The first two seasons of the new project took place in June 2023 and October-November 2024. See Season 2023 and Season 2024.