In pictures: 75 statues, mummies found on Egypt site

A mummy of a cat. Egypt on Saturday unveiled a cache of 75 wooden and bronze statues and five lion cub mummies decorated with hieroglyphics at the Saqqara necropolis near the Giza pyramids in Cairo.

The CT-scan revealed that the mummies for 95 percent belong to lion cubs according to the size and shape of the bones of the mummies. Antiquities Minister Khaled El-Enany described the discovery as "a (whole) museum by itself". He said initial archaeological studies showed that five of the mummies are lion cubs.

Visitors observe mummies of cats and other felines displayed after the announcement of a new discovery carried out by an Egyptian archaeological team in Giza's Saqqara necropolis, south of the capital Cairo, on November 23, 2019. The artifacts belong to the 26th Dynasty which dates back to the seventh century BC, Enany said.

An extensive collection of 75 wooden and bronze statues of cats of different shapes and sizes are displayed in Saqqara, south Giza, Egypt. Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019.

Wooden and clay mummies masks are displayed in Saqqara, south Giza, Egypt. Egypt has sought to promote its unique heritage as a way to revive its vital tourism sector. However, critics say archaeological sites and museums suffer from negligence and poor management.

The trove also boasts a collection of ancient Egyptian deities in the form of 73 bronze statuettes depicting the god Osiris, six wooden statues of Ptah-Soker and 11 statues of Sekhmet, the warrior deity of healing.