17 non-royal mummies have been discovered by Egyptian archaeologists in desert catacombs in Minya province. The antiquities ministry described the findings on Saturday as "unprecedented" discovery in the area south of Cairo.

The non-royal mummies were found in a series of hallways after trailing the burial shafts in the Touna-Gabal area of the central Egyptian province. Apart from these mummies, they also found two papyri in Demotic which is an ancient Egyptian script, golden sheet, a number of sarcophagi built from clay and limestone, as well as animal and bird coffins.

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Currently, the mummies have not been dated, though the ministry believed that they are part of the Late Period, approximately 300 years until Alexander the Great's conquest of Egypt in 332 BC. However, a spokeswoman told AFP that the discovery may also record during the Ptolemaic Dynasty, established by Alexander the Great's general Ptolemy.

The 17 non-royal mummies are considered to be unprecedented since it is the first time to find such discoveries in the area, according to the officials of the district. Egyptologist Salah al-Kholi also said in a news conference that the finding could declare even more sightings around the area.

Mohamed Hamza, the director of excavations at Cairo University, said that the discovery was "unprecedented and important," wherein the site is near to an ancient animal cemetery. Furthermore, Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Enany believes that this just the beginning of locating more similar discoveries in the district.

In April, there were also eight mummies found in a 3,500-year-old grave of a nobleman in the southern city of Luxor. For Egyptian government, these findings benefit the country especially in presenting and promoting its glorious past since tourists were alarmed following a series of threat from Islamist militant.

According to Enany, Egypt became remarkable because of the soft power of its antiquities and news about their discoveries are one of the important things that attract the tourists to go to Egypt, too.

Each year, millions of tourists traveled to Egypt to visit Giza Pyramids, the one and only existing monument that contributes to the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.