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Hidden chambers may exist beyond King Tutankhamun's tomb: Egyptian official

Xinhua, October 1, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Egyptian antiquity authority said Thursday that King Tutankhamun, one of ancient Egypt's most famous kings, will be the man of both the 20th and 21st centuries if hidden chambers are discovered beyond his tomb.

British Egyptologist Nicholas Reeves believes that Queen Nefertiti's crypt may be buried in hidden doorways behind King Tutankhamun's 3,300-year-old tomb, according to Egypt's state-run news agency.

Speaking at a press conference with Reeves, the Egyptian minister of antiquities, Mamdouh Damaty, said he does not believe the hidden tomb is that of Queen Nefertiti but may be 70 percent of King Tut's mother or Merrittaten, the eldest daughter of Akhenaten.

Damaty and Reeves held the conference to announce the outcome of the first examination of King Tut's tomb where Reeves believes Queen Nefertiti was buried in a hidden chamber.

He added that talks will be held with the Permanent Committee of Egyptian Monuments to decide on the next plan of action and radar device specifications to be used inside the tomb to see if hidden chambers exist.

Such work takes between one to three months in order to ensure no damage to the painted walls of Tutankhamun's burial chamber, he added.

If we become certain hidden chambers exist, then we will mull the best method to reach them whilst guaranteeing the tomb's safety, he said.

Famed for her beauty, Nefertiti was the wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten, Tutenkhamen's father, and ruled alongside him as Queen of Egypt in the 14th century BC.

She wielded enormous influence and may have been her husband's equal, yet her tomb remains undiscovered. Endit