'Be careful opening those things': Tom Cruise warns Egyptians

'Be careful opening those things': Tom Cruise warns Egyptians
American actor Tom Cruise has warned Egyptians after a team of archaeologists unearthed 17 mummies in catacombs south of Cairo, cheekily promoting his upcoming reboot of The Mummy thriller.
2 min read
15 May, 2017
Tom Cruise plays a treasure hunter in the upcoming reboot of The Mummy [Anadolu]

After playing the role of a treasure hunter in the upcoming reboot of The Mummy, Tom Cruise learned a thing or two about the danger of opening a sarcophagus.

The American actor recently retweeted an AP news story about the discovery of a necropolis with at least 17 mummies in Egypt, commenting with a cheeky reference to promote Universal's new thriller.

"Be careful opening those things," he said on Saturday, less than a month ahead of the 9 June release date of his much anticipated movie.

When his character, Nick Morton, unearths the crypt of an ancient princess from the deserts of Egypt, he unwittingly unleashes centuries worth of biblical-level terror on the world.

Egypt's antiquities ministry announced on Saturday that archaeologists had discovered 17 mummies in catacombs in Minya province, south of Cairo.

The discovery was made in the village of Tuna al-Gabal, a vast archaeological site on the edge of the western desert. The area hosts necropolises mainly for animals and birds.

"We found catacombs containing a number of mummies," said Salah al-Kholi, a Cairo University professor of Egyptology who headed the mission that made the discovery.

Excavation work uncovered a number of burial shafts that "led to a number of corridors inside a cachette of mummies", the ministry said. The cachette housed 17 non-royal mummies.

Antiquities Minister Khaled el-Enany told reporters near the desert archaeological site that the discovery was "the first human necropolis found in central Egypt with so many mummies".

The necropolis dates back to the pharaonic Late Kingdom and Greco-Roman periods, he said, adding that the find is still in a preliminary stage, and more mummies are expected to be discovered in the area.

Mohammed Hamza, director of excavations at Cairo University, described the find as "important" and "unprecedented, because it's the first human necropolis" unearthed in the area.

The discovery comes as Egypt struggles to revive its tourism sector, partially driven by antiquities sightseeing, that was hit hard by political turmoil since the 2011 uprising.

Tags