Doorway in Tutankhamun’s tomb may lead to Nefertiti’s resting place
HIDDEN doorways in an ancient Egyptian tomb may lead to the long-lost resting place of Queen Nefertiti, a scientist claims.
British-born archaeologist Dr Nicholas Reeves, based at the University of Arizona, made the claim after studying high-resolution scans of the walls of King Tutankhamun’s burial chamber in the Valley of the Kings.
The scans are said to reveal two hidden entrances behind the painted plaster.
One appeared to lead to a store room and the other a continuation of Tutankhamun’s burial chamber. Dr Reeves believes the second door may open into the tomb of Nefertiti, believed to be the mother of Tutankhamun, ancient Egypt’s “boy king”. If he is right, a chamber of treasures more magnificent even than the tomb of Tutankhamun awaits discovery.
Dr Reeves wrote in a paper published by the Amarna Royal Tombs Project, which he heads: “Cautious evalua- tion of the ... scans over the course of several months has yielded results which are beyond intriguing: indications of two previously unknown doorways, one set within a larger partition wall and both seemingly untouched since antiquity.”
The small size of Tutankhamun’s richly furnished burial chamber has puzzled archaeologists since its discovery in 1922. It gives the impression of being an antechamber, rather than a tomb fit for a king. Dr Reeves suggests it was built as an extension to another tomb belonging to Tutankhamun’s mother.
Nefertiti was the wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten and ruled with him as Queen of Egypt in the 14th century BC.