Archaeologists have made a groundbreaking discovery of a "door to the afterlife" during a dig into a 4,400-year-old tomb in Egypt.
The catacomb, which belonged to the previously-unknown Prince Userefre, contains a large pink granite door - which does not actually open.
Instead, the 15-foot high and four-foot wide structure holds spiritual significance, serving as a symbolic portal through which the soul of the dead would travel to the afterlife.
The discovery was made during an excavation mission in Egypt's Saqqara necropolis by a team led by Dr Zahi Hawass, the former Minister of Antiquities.
Archaeologists have made a groundbreaking discovery of a 'false door' during their examination of a 4,400-year-old tomb in Egypt
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The "gateway" is decorated with hieroglyphic inscriptions.
These include Prince Userfre's titles such as "hereditary Prince, Governor of the Buto and Nekhbet Regions, Royal Scribe, Minister, Judge, and Chanting Priest".
But despite his many titles, the prince, who was the son of King Userkaf, the founder of Egypt's fifth dynasty, was previously unknown to researchers, as was his tomb.
Ronald Leprohon, professor emeritus of Egyptology at the University of Toronto, admitted to The Archaeologist: "Before this discovery, we didn't even know he existed."
The inscriptions on the 'gateway' include some of the Prince's many titles
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Most false doors discovered in Egyptian tombs are made of limestone, a material which was abundant at the time.
However, alongside this door, archaeologists found 13 high-backed chairs, each of which featured statues carved from pink granite.
Pink and red granite was a rarity which had to be transported from around 650km away in Aswan, meaning it was reserved for royalty.
Its use throughout the tomb, as well as the imposing size of the door, reflects Prince Userefre's high status.
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Archaeologists also discovered a massive black granite statue of a standing man, measuring 1.17 metres
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Dr Melanie Pitkin, an Egyptologist who previously worked as a research assistant in Egyptian Antiquities at Cambridge University, has explained how these false doors allowed the life force, or "ka", of the deceased to move between the tomb and the afterlife.
She said: "Family members and priests would come to the tomb where the false door was standing and they would recite the name of the deceased and his or her achievements and leave offerings.
"The ka of the deceased would then magically travel between the burial chamber and the netherworld.
"It would come and collect the food, drink, and offerings from the tomb to help sustain it in the afterlife."
Also found in the tomb was a red granite offering table which measures 92.5cm across, and features carved texts describing ritual sacrifice.
Archaeologists also discovered a massive black granite statue of a standing man, measuring 1.17 metres tall.
However, the owner of this statue, whose name was inscribed on its chest, seems to date from a more recent time period.
Despite these discoveries, researchers are still working at the site to try to uncover the prince's actual burial chamber
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This indicates the tomb may have been reused.
Despite all of these discoveries, researchers are still working at the site to try to uncover the prince's actual burial chamber.