Archaeology & History

Zahi Hawass claims that he has found the tomb of Queen Nefertiti

By T.K. Randall
September 21, 2022

Image: Bust of Queen Nefertiti
Credit: Rüdiger Stehn / CC BY-SA 2.0 (adapted) Famed for her beauty, Queen Nefertiti was a prominent figure in ancient Egypt's 18th Dynasty and reigned for years alongside her husband - the Pharaoh Akhenaten.

When he died, some experts believe that she may have continued to rule for a time under the name Neferneferuaten before the young Tutankhamen took over.

Over the years there have been many efforts to locate the tomb of Queen Nefertiti, but so far archaeologists have been unable to conclusively determine the whereabouts of her remains.

Back in 2015, Nicholas Reeves indicated that there could be a hidden chamber behind the walls of Tutankhamen's tomb in which the mummy of Nefertiti might be found, which at the time led to renewed interest in the search.

Sadly, though, scans of the tomb seemed to discount the presence of such a chamber.Now famed Egyptologist and former Minister of State for Antiquities Affairs Zahi Hawass has reignited the debate once again by claiming that he has in fact discovered the whereabouts of Queen Nefertiti and intends to reveal everything he knows in the autumn.

His claim is believed to center around two unknown mummies found in the tomb KV21 in the Valley of the Kings. Both are the remains of women - possibly a mother and daughter - who date back to the correct time period, but so far a conclusive identification has remained elusive.

Hawass, however, now seems to believe that one of these mummies is indeed Queen Nefertiti.

"In October we will be able to announce the discovery of the mummy of Ankhesenamun, Tutankhamun's wife, and her mother, Nefertiti," he told The Independent.

If he is actually able to prove this beyond any shadow of a doubt, it will be quite the discovery indeed.

We will need to wait until October, however, to find out exactly what he has learned.

Source: Jerusalem Post

Tags: Nefertiti, Egypt