Scans suggest Queen Nefertiti ‘could be buried behind Tutankhamun tomb’

Scans of King Tutankhamun’s tomb last November show there are two hidden spaces or chambers behind it. The tests also showed that there was organic and metallic matter in the chambers, suggesting it could be another burial site. Egypt’s minister of antiquities Mamdouh el-Damaty said this could be “the discovery of the century”. Some experts have long argued that there was another tomb and it could contain the remains of Tutankhamun’s stepmother, the fabled Queen Nefertiti.

It means a rediscovery of Tutankhamun. It is very important for Egyptian history and for all of the world

Egypt minister of antiquities, Mamdouh el-Damaty

British Egyptologist Nicolas Reeves believes that the sudden and early death of the King caught everyone by surprise and as they didn’t have time to build a tomb, they buried him in Nefertiti’s. He points to the fact the tomb looks similar to others that were built for women, contained artefacts belonging to a female and is too small for a king. But other Egyptologists say that, although there may be chambers, there are unlikely to be new tombs, still less that of the notorious Nefertiti, one of ancient Egypt’s most important and influential figures who ruled around 1300BC. The next step will be on 31 March when more radar scans will be done in order to determine the size of the chambers and thickness of the walls.

There are interesting marks on that wall in King Tut’s tomb - fact. That they look possibly like the outlines of doorways I think we all agree with. But after that it goes into a range of possibilities.

Egyptologist Dr Aidan Dodson

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