The 3,600 year-old sarcophagus, which dates back to 1600 BC was uncovered with a mummy still inside. Photo: Reuters/Supreme Council of Antiquities

Spanish archaeologists have unearthed a 3,600-year-old mummy in the ancient city of Luxor, Egypt’s Antiquities Minister says.

Mohammed Ibrahim said in a statement that the rare find in a preserved wooden sarcophagus dates back to 1600 BC, when the Pharaonic 17th Dynasty reigned.

He said the mummy appears to belong to a high official. The sarcophagus is engraved with hieroglyphs and decorated with inscriptions of birds’ feathers.

The exact identity of the well-preserved mummy will now be studied, Mr Ibrahim said, adding that it was discovered by a Spanish mission in collaboration with the Egyptian antiquities ministry.

Antiquities department head Ali Al-Asfar said the two-metre sarcophagus still bears its original colouring and writings.

An archaeologist and a Egyptian worker look at a wooden sarcophagus that was lifted from the ground in Luxor, southern Egypt. Photo: Reuters/Supreme Council of Antiquities.