The tombs at Tuna el-Gebel are ornate. Dating back to the Ptolemaic dynasty of ancient Egypt, one chamber in the massive necropolis offers a curious glimpse into ancient Egyptian belief. Square windows, framed with ornate script, open into vaults holding mummified remains — but not from any human.
Inside, the treated cadavers of long-dead baboons sit up in these niches, animals once thought to have a rare connection with Egyptian deities. A pair of stone steps sits underneath the windows, while large-cone-like pillars framing the steps are flattened off at the top for offerings.
While these tombs were built late in ancient Egypt's long history, a period that represented huge changes in governance and society, the representation of baboons had remained consistent ever since the beginnings of complex civilization in the Nile Valley.
The reasons these animals were regarded as sacred, however, is deeply rooted in ancient Egyptian religion and culture.
