Archaeologists in Egypt say they have discovered a 4,400-year-old tomb near the pyramids outside Cairo.

Key points: A tomb likely belonging to high-ranking female official Hetpet was discovered at the Giza plateau

A tomb likely belonging to high-ranking female official Hetpet was discovered at the Giza plateau Archaeological mission leader Mostafa Al-Waziri believes there are more discoveries to be made

Archaeological mission leader Mostafa Al-Waziri believes there are more discoveries to be made Egypt hopes discoveries will boost tourism

Egypt's Antiquities Ministry said the tomb likely belonged to a high-ranking 5th Dynasty female official known as Hetpet.

The tomb includes wall paintings depicting Hetpet watching different hunting and fishing scenes.

Mostafa Al-Waziri, leader of the archaeological mission, said the scenes depicted monkeys, at the time commonly kept as domestic animals.

One is picking fruit and the other is dancing before an orchestra.

Mr Al-Waziri said Hetpet had another tomb in Giza's western necropolis, which is home to the tombs of top officials of Egypt's Old Kingdom.

Al-Waziri said excavation work was underway at the other tomb.

According to the ministry, the archaeological team behind the discovery started excavation work last October.

Archaeologists have been making discoveries near the site since the 19th century, and Mr Al-Waziri believes there is still more to be found.

"This is a very promising area. We expect to find more," he told reporters at the site.

"We have removed between 250 to 300 cubic metres of layers of earth to find the tomb.

"What we see above the earth's surface in Egypt doesn't exceed 40 per cent of what the core holds."

Hetpet's body has not been found yet

The tomb was found near the pyramids outside Cairo. ( Reuters: Amr Abdallah Dalsh )

Hetpet is a previously known figure in Egyptian antiquity, though her mummy has not been discovered yet.

Fragments of artefacts belonging to Hetpet were found in the same area back in 1909, and were moved to a museum in Berlin at the time, Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anani said on Saturday.

Despite all the discoveries already made about ancient Egypt, experts said they hoped to find many more treasures still buried under the vast desert with the help of modern technology.

The area of the latest discovery is close to a new museum under construction that will house some of Egypt's most unique and precious artefacts, including many belonging to the famed Tutankhamun.

The first phase of Grand Egyptian museum is expected to be opened later this year, while the grand opening is planned for 2022.

AP