An ancient dungeon from the 6th century's Makuria Empire in Africa which harbored seven mummies and had ancient scriptures written on walls was discovered. / Courtesy of MK MBN



By Ko Dong-hwan

Researchers discovered ruins of an old African empire's capital, a grotesque dungeon with ancient scriptures written all over while harboring seven mummies, sources said Wednesday.

The mummies, according to experts from Poland's University of Warsaw, acted as "guardians" of the dungeon.

"This is sort of a safeguard tomb," said one of the experts. "The mummies were vested in magical power to protect a body and a spirit of the king they had served. Further investigation on not just the dungeon but the entire vicinity site is necessary."

The dungeon, located in Nile Valley in northern Sudan, was known as part of historical relics from Old Dongola, a capital of Makuria Empire which had prospered for approximately 900 years since the 6th century.

While the mummies were laid on the ground side to side, its whitewashed interior had black texts scribbled on all sides. The researchers confirmed them as languages of the Greeks and an ancient Egyptian language used in the southern region known as Coptic.