The second-longest ancient papyrus — or long piece of inscribed ancient paper — to be discovered in Egypt was unveiled at a ceremony on Monday at Cairo’s Egyptian Museum.
Waziri Papyrus I measures more than 16 metres in length and is inscribed with verses from the Egyptian Book of the Dead. It was excavated in May 2022 by an all-Egyptian mission working at Cairo’s Saqqara necropolis.
The book is a collection of spells believed in ancient Egypt to assist a dead person on their journey through the underworld.
Despite being announced last year, it had not been seen by the public until Monday night when it was unveiled inside a new exhibit at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square by Mostafa Waziri, the Secretary General of Supreme Council of Antiquities, after whom the papyrus was named.
It had been undergoing restoration since May, Mr Waziri told reporters at Monday’s ceremony.
Unearthed within the sarcophagus of a person named Ahmose, the papyrus, which dates back to 50BC, is inscribed in hieratic, a form of ancient Egyptian shorthand used predominantly by priests, and comprises 13 sections from the Book of the Dead.
The verses were inscribed on the papyrus as 150 columns of writing of varying lengths and were accompanied by hieroglyphics and illustrations.
Ahmose’s name was found 260 times on the papyrus, which led the team to believe that it was meant as his personal funerary document.
Furthermore, another papyrus was found at Saqqara more recently and it is now in restoration, and would be unveiled soon, Mr Waziri said.
It will be named Waziri Papyrus II.
The unveiling took place as part of a larger ceremony held to inaugurate a newly updated wing of the Egyptian Museum which had been undergoing renovation co-funded by the EU.
The renovation plan, the first phase of which has been completed, involves major structural updates to the 120-year-old premises and improvements to its lighting systems and displays. Additionally, its archives and services will be digitised, Mr Waziri said.
Egyptologists from several Egyptian universities attended alongside counterparts from five European museums with large ancient Egyptian collections: the Louvre, the British Museum, the Egyptian Museum in Berlin, the National Antiquities Museum in Leiden, in the Netherlands, and the Egyptian Museum in Turin.
The foreign contingent present at the inauguration of the renovated wing at the museum, praised their “longstanding and fruitful co-operation” with the Egyptian Museum.
The redevelopment was undertaken to ensure the Egyptian Museum, the country’s oldest, is not forgotten now that newer, larger and better-equipped alternatives such as the Grand Egyptian Museum and the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation have opened to visitors, said Ahmed Eissa, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities.
Mr Eissa announced a plan in January to increase tourism by 30 per cent by updating the quality and speed of services offered to tourists.
“Museums and tourists’ experience inside them is an important part of our plan to boost tourism,” said Mr Eissa during his address on Monday.
The inauguration ceremony was also attended by the European Commission’s ambassador to Egypt, Christian Berger. He outlined the prominence of the Egyptian Museum, which opened in 1902 and has played an important role in the preservation of the country's heritage.
The longest papyrus to be discovered in Egypt, the Harris Papyrus I, was found near Luxor’s Habu Temple in the 1850s.
It was purchased by a British collector in 1855 and has since been displayed at the British Museum.
Pharaoh's golden death mask and silver coffin among artefacts on display — in pictures
Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners
Best Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
Best Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
Best Goal: Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria vs Napoli)
Best Team: Atalanta
Best XI: Samir Handanovic (Inter); Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Joao Cancelo (Juventus*); Miralem Pjanic (Juventus), Josip Ilicic (Atalanta), Nicolo Barella (Cagliari*); Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Duvan Zapata (Atalanta)
Serie B Best Young Player: Sandro Tonali (Brescia)
Best Women’s Goal: Thaisa (Milan vs Juventus)
Best Women’s Player: Manuela Giugliano (Milan)
Best Women’s XI: Laura Giuliani (Milan); Alia Guagni (Fiorentina), Sara Gama (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Elisa Bartoli (Roma); Aurora Galli (Juventus), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus); Valentina Giacinti (Milan), Ilaria Mauro (Fiorentina), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus)
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
MATCH INFO
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
The Bio
Favourite place in UAE: Al Rams pearling village
What one book should everyone read: Any book written before electricity was invented. When a writer willingly worked under candlelight, you know he/she had a real passion for their craft
Your favourite type of pearl: All of them. No pearl looks the same and each carries its own unique characteristics, like humans
Best time to swim in the sea: When there is enough light to see beneath the surface
Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
- Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
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What is an ETF?
An exchange traded fund is a type of investment fund that can be traded quickly and easily, just like stocks and shares. They come with no upfront costs aside from your brokerage's dealing charges and annual fees, which are far lower than on traditional mutual investment funds. Charges are as low as 0.03 per cent on one of the very cheapest (and most popular), Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, with the maximum around 0.75 per cent.
There is no fund manager deciding which stocks and other assets to invest in, instead they passively track their chosen index, country, region or commodity, regardless of whether it goes up or down.
The first ETF was launched as recently as 1993, but the sector boasted $5.78 billion in assets under management at the end of September as inflows hit record highs, according to the latest figures from ETFGI, a leading independent research and consultancy firm.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five largest providers BlackRock’s iShares, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisers, Deutsche Bank X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
While the best-known track major indices such as MSCI World, the S&P 500 and FTSE 100, you can also invest in specific countries or regions, large, medium or small companies, government bonds, gold, crude oil, cocoa, water, carbon, cattle, corn futures, currency shifts or even a stock market crash.
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
