INTERVIEW: Egypt's antiquities minister speaks on search for Nefertiti in Tutankhamun’s tomb
Nevine El-Aref, , Friday 2 Oct 2015
Egyptian Minister of
Antiquities Mamdouh Eldamaty tells Ahram Online his expectations and
plans regarding Egyptologist Nicholas Reeves' theory on the location of
Nefertiti’s crypt
Ahram Online spoke with Minister of Antiquities Mamdouh Eldamaty
regarding an upcoming radar scan of Tutankhamun’s tomb to determine if
Queen Nefertiti is buried in a hidden chamber.
The theory that Nefertiti may be buried in Tutankhamun’s tomb was introduced by Egyptologist Nicholas Reeves.
Ahram Online (AO):What is your opinion about Reeves' theory, and could it be true?
Minister: It is a respectable scientific theory that could prove
right or wrong, and when examining the west and north walls of
Tutankhamun’s burial chamber, I realised that all the evidence that
Reeves mentioned regarding the existence of hidden chambers is true.
I also noticed an area on a wall where the type of stone used was
different than that in other walls. It is covered in painted plaster
with the purpose of hiding something.
I am 75 percent certain we will find chambers behind both walls, but not one containing Nefertiti.
If the theory proves true and we locate Nefertiti’s resting place,
we would be facing a discovery that would overshadow the uncovering of
the golden king himself. This would be the most important discovery of
the 21stcentury.
However, if we find the tomb of another royal member or an
extension of Tutankhamun’s tomb, the discovery would be on par with the
original discovery of the king's tomb in the 20th century.
(AO): Why do you think Nefertiti is not in theburial chamber?
Minister: First, because Nefertiti cannot by any means be buried in
the Valley of the Kings, since she, along with her husband Akhenaten,
abandoned the Amun cult for the god Aten, and Thebes is the city of
Amun.
Second, I am totally against Reeves’ theory that the scene on the
north wall shows Tutankhamun performingthe "opening of the mouth" ritual
onNefertiti’s mummy, when the inscriptions clearly state that the
ritual is being performed by Ay on Tutankhamun.
Reeves based his interpretation of this scene on the facial
features of the people depicted, which is not sufficient as the artists
of the 18thdynasty were commissioned to do several murals, which would
account for the facialsimilarities.
(AO): If it is not Nefertiti’s burial chamber, to whom could this tomb belong?
Minister: The hidden chamber could be for another woman like one of Tutankahmun’s sisters or his mother Kiya.
It could also belong to Queen Meritaten, the wife of King
Smenkare,who succeeded Akhenaten and resumed the worshipping of the god
Amun.
Smenkare was buried in tomb number KV55, located in front of
Tutankhamun’s tomb, so it is likely that Meritaten could be buried in
the tomb in front of her husband.
(AO): Why did you examine the royal tombs of kings connected to Tutankahmun, and what did you find?
Minister: We examined the tombs of Horemhab, Ay, Amenhotep II and KV55.
In Horemhab's tomb, we found that the wall at the far side, which
is similar to the north wall in Tutankhamun’s burial chamber, hides
behind it an extension of the tomb which was previously closed and
painted over.
In Amenhotep II’s tomb, we realised that the king’s burial chamber
is located at the left side of the tomb, which follows the usual ancient
Egyptian plan for kings’ tombs. But in Tutankhamun’s tomb, the plan is
different, as the burial chamber is found at the right side of the tomb,
which is a design made only for queens’ tombs.
In Ay’s tomb, we examined the magical niches and found that they
are located in their usual position in the middle of the walls of the
burial chamber, but in Tutankhamun' case they are not found in this
location.
All the evidence we found in the tombs we visited indicates that
Tutankhamun’s burial chamber is different than its counterparts in the
Valley of the Kings.
This difference shows that this burial chamber was extended and
closed quickly in antiquity to bury King Tutankhamun, who died suddenly.
As for the tomb itself, I see that it was eventually used for
Tutankhamun, but was not originally constructed for him.
Hence, one or more chambers or even a corridor that leads to another tomb may be found hidden in Tutankhamun’s burial chamber.
(AO): What does the ministry intend on doing before the beginning of the radar scan?
Minister: In the upcoming period, a master plan is to be submitted
to the Permanent Committee to have its approval on using several
non-invasive radar devices from Egypt, Japan and other countries in
order to have more than one test.
I will carry out our own radar research in cooperation with the
scientific team in order to reach a result, which is to be compared with
the Japanese radar test to take place at the end of November after
receiving security clearance.
(AO): What if the radar indicates there is nothing behind the walls?
Minister: That would be a discovery in itself. We are following the
evidence we notice in the tomb until we uncover the real truth.
(AO): What is your response to Reeves' claim that Tutankhamun’s
funerary mask and 80 percent of his burial treasure belonged originally
to Nefertiti?
Minister: I cannot respond to this because the mask and the
treasure bear inscriptions and cartouches of the name of Tutankhamun, so
they certainly belonged to him.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/151933.aspx
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