A newly-found tomb containing five mummies was officially opened in the Valley of the Kings in the southern Egyptian ancient city of Luxor, local daily the Egyptian Gazette reported on Sunday (Feb 11).

It is the first such discovery since the grave of Pharaoh Tutankhamun was uncovered in 1922.

The mummies were in sarcophagi dating from the 18th Dynasty from 1567 BC to 1320 BC and were surrounded by pots holding food which ancient Egyptians believed would be used in the afterlife, according to the report.

The tomb was found by a U.S. team from the University of Memphis, said Zahi Hawass, General Secretary of the Egyptian Supreme Antiquities Committee.

On Friday, Egypt's antiquities authority allowed journalists a first look into the tomb.

But archeologists did not find the treasures like Tutankhamun's grave which included items such as the gold death mask of the young Egyptian Pharaoh.

Once conservation and restoration work was completed, the mummies and pots would be sent to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, said Hawass.

Editor: Wing