Archaeologists working in Egypt announced on Wednesday that they had discovered a city dating back more than 7,000 years about 250 miles (390 kilometers) south of Cairo. The site includes 15 large tombs, indicating a high social standing for those buried there, as well as domiciles and pottery.
The find was located near the well-known ancient Egyptian city of Abydos, most famous for its temple dedicated to Seti I, the father of the most famous pharaoh in history – Ramesses the Great.
"This discovery can shed light on a lot of information on the history of Abydos," said Antiquities Minister Mahmoud Afifi in a statement.
"The size of the graves discovered in the cemetery is larger in some instances than royal graves in Abydos dating back to the First Dynasty, which proves the importance of the people buried there and their high social standing during this early era of ancient Egyptian history," he added.
Experts hope evidence may help prove their theory that Abydos was Egypt's capital in the pre-dynastic and early dynastic periods.
The discovery could prove a much-needed boon to Egypt's key tourism industry, which has suffered in the unrest that has followed the 2011 uprising against strongman Hosni Mubarak. A 2015 terrorist attack that killed 224 tourists aboard a Russian plane that took off from a Red Sea resort further dented tourist numbers.
In 2010, 14.7 million tourists visited Egypt. In the first three months of 2016, that number had dropped to a measly 1.2 million.
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Hidden chamber in the Valley of Kings: Queen Nefertiti's resting place?
Where is Queen Nefertiti?
Nefertiti's bust, a leading attraction at Berlin's Neues Museum, is world famous. This 3,300-year-old effigy was unearthed in Egypt in 1912 by the German Ludwig Borchardt. Yet her corpse was never found, and the location of her grave remains a mystery. Now Egypt has revealed exciting new finds which could potentially lead to one of the biggest archaeological discoveries ever.
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Hidden chamber in the Valley of Kings: Queen Nefertiti's resting place?
Hidden chambers
King Tut's mausoleum is being reexplored. Based on preliminary information from infrared scans, Mamdouh al-Damati, Egypt's minister of antiquities, confirmed on Saturday (28.11.2015) that there is a 90% chance that King Tut's tomb contains hidden chambers. One archaeologist believes Nefertiti's sarcophagus could hidden there.
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Hidden chamber in the Valley of Kings: Queen Nefertiti's resting place?
Why it could be Nefertiti
The new exploration was launched after Nicholas Reeves, a British Egyptologist affiliated with the University of Arizona, published his theories last August. Through careful observation, he found that King Tut's small tomb appears to be the antechamber of a larger burial room. He also argues that portraits in the murals represent Nefertiti, and not Tutankhamun.
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Hidden chamber in the Valley of Kings: Queen Nefertiti's resting place?
Unexpected death
The young pharaoh Tutankhamun died unexpectedly at the age of 19, in 1324 BC, after a reign of nine years. Reeves believes that priests decided to reopen Nefertiti's tomb to bury him there, since his own mausoleum had not been built yet.
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Hidden chamber in the Valley of Kings: Queen Nefertiti's resting place?
The greatest find in modern archeology
British Egyptologist Howard Carter's discovery of King Tut's tomb in 1922 was an archaeological sensation. Most such burial rooms had been plundered over the years, but this was the best-preserved and most intact pharaonic tomb ever found in Luxor's Valley of Kings. Will the hidden chambers lead to an even more spectacular find?
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Hidden chamber in the Valley of Kings: Queen Nefertiti's resting place?
Really King Tut's mask?
Among many other treasures, the tomb contained the mummy's iconic golden mask. Yet Reeves believes that it - and about 80 percent of the burial equipment found in Tutankhamun's tomb - was actually made for someone else.
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Hidden chamber in the Valley of Kings: Queen Nefertiti's resting place?
Japanese infrared scans
Over a period of two days, Japanese radar specialist Hirokatsu Watanabe, pictured above, conducted scans. Measuring temperature variations, the experts discovered that the north wall of King Tut's burial chamber didn't reflect heat the same way the others did, indicating possible pockets of air behind the murals. The scans must be further analyzed by the Japanese expert over the following month.
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Hidden chamber in the Valley of Kings: Queen Nefertiti's resting place?
King Akhenaten's many wives
The scans were spurred by Nicholas Reeves' theories. Though the renowned British archaeologist (center) has many reasons to believe this chamber could hide Queen Nefertiti, the Great Royal wife of Akhenaten, others are more cautious. Minister of antiquities Damati (left) said the chamber adjoining King Tut's tomb may also have belonged to Kiya, another of Akhenaten's wives.
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Hidden chamber in the Valley of Kings: Queen Nefertiti's resting place?
The 'heretic' monotheist cult
Akhenaten is the pharaoh who temporarily converted ancient Egypt to monotheism by imposing the single cult of the sun god Aten. Nefertiti played a major role in this religious revolution. Their rule ended with a military takeover. Later on, the entire family's names were wiped out from official records as they were considered heretics for having abolished the Egyptian pantheon.
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Hidden chamber in the Valley of Kings: Queen Nefertiti's resting place?
Impossibly in the Valley of Kings?
This is why it is unclear who succeeded Akhenaten. Reeves argues that it was Nefertiti herself. Zahi Hawass, Egypt's former antiquities minister (pictured), believes her involvement in the cult rules out her being entombed in the hidden chamber. "The lady was worshiping Aten with Akhenaten for years. The priests would never have allowed her to be buried in the Valley of the Kings," he told AFP.
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Hidden chamber in the Valley of Kings: Queen Nefertiti's resting place?
Secrets to be unveiled… later
Near present-day Luxor, Egypt's Valley of Kings is where the pharaohs and powerful nobles were buried over 3,000 years ago. After the scans are analyzed, experts will need to determine how to enter the hidden part of the tomb without damaging King Tut's burial chamber. That delicate process could take months.
Author: Elizabeth Grenier
es/bw (AP, AFP, Reuters)
