Archaeologists unearthed 27 sarcophagi in an ancient Egyptian city of the dead. They've been sealed for more than 2,500 years.

A 2500-year-old coffin discovered in a burial shaft in the desert near the Saqqara necropolis in Egypt. The image was released September 19, 2020 by the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities.The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities/Handout via Reuters

• Archaeologists found 27 new sarcophagi in an ancient city of the dead beneath Saqqara, Egypt.
• The wooden coffins are perfectly sealed — they've remained undisturbed for 2,500 years since the bodies inside were mummified.
• Last year, Egyptologists discovered a trove of mummified lion cubs, crocodiles, and cobras in Saqqara.

More than two millennia ago, 27 Egyptians were laid to rest in Saqqara, an ancient city of the dead. Their organs were removed, and their bodies wrapped in linens. Priests placed them inside wooden boxes adorned with hieroglyphics.

The mummies stayed buried in those sarcophagi for 2,500 years — until their recent discovery by Egyptian archaeologists.

The finding is one of Egypt's largest in over a century.

It happened in two parts: In early September, Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced more than a dozen coffins had been found in a burial shaft under the ancient city of Saqqara. Then two weeks later, the shaft yielded a second set of sarcophagi.

"Initial studies indicate that these coffins are completely closed and haven't been opened since they were buried," the ministry said in a Facebook post on Sunday.

The photos below show how archaeologists found the sarcophagi,and other mummies buried beneath Saqqara.