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Nefertiti: More tests on Tutankhamun's tomb need to be carried out before archaeologists can excavate 'secret chamber', Egyptian minister says

Experts have raised concerns about how the excavation has been handled so far

Caroline Mortimer

Wednesday 11 May 2016 15:16 BST

Queen Neferiti who ruled Egypt in the 14th century BC (Getty)

Egypt’s Antiquities Minister, Khaled el-Enany, has said more tests are needed to determine whether there is a secret chamber within King Tutankhamun’s tomb that contains the remains of Queen Nefertiti.

He said the evidence that had been discovered so far did not justify drilling into the walls of the tomb to look for hidden chambers.

Experts have raised concerns over how the search for the tomb has been handled.

One, former Antiquities Minister, Dr Zahi Hawas, said the scientific methods used during the initial study - which was published in March - were not adequate.

He has repeatedly called for an independent, international scientific committee of archaeologists, radar experts and remote sensing experts to come in and supervise the work to uncover the tomb.

"The infra-red scan said we need to repeat it because we have something that we cannot be sure what it is exactly.

"There is a possibility that there is a cavity, after the latest scan.

"I hope we will find something... but, as a scientist, I need to be careful before announcing results."

Mr Anani was speaking at a conference in Cairo dedicated to the exploration of the boy emperor’s tomb - which is approximately 3,330 years old.

It comes just months after another former Antiquities Minister, Mamdouh el-Damaty, said there was "a 90 per cent chance” the secret chambers do exist and contain organic material.

His announcement was part of a drive to boost tourism in the country.

Egyptian tourism has been dwindling after several years of political turmoil and high profile terror attacks - such as the downing of a Russian passenger jet shortly after it left Sharm el-Sheikh airport in October last year.

Queen Neferiti was the stepmother of King Tutankhamun and is one of the best known and most mysterious queens of the Ancient Egyptian era.

Tutankhamun and Nerferiti were part of a dynasty which ruled Egypt between the 16th and 13th century BC.

Tutankhamun inherited the throne as child from his father, Akhenaten, and ruled for approximately nine years before dying at around 18 years of age.

Discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb - in colour

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1/21Discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb - in colour

Discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb - in colour

Carter and a worker examine the solid gold innermost sarcophagus, October 1925. Image courtesy of Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, colourised by Dynamichrome

Discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb - in colour

Carter examines Tutankhamun's sarcophagus, October 1925. Image courtesy of Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, colourised by Dynamichrome

Discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb - in colour

Carter, Callender and two Egyptian workers carefully dismantle one of the golden shrines within the burial chamber, December 1923. Image courtesy of Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, colourised by Dynamichrome

Discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb - in colour

Carter, Mace and an Egyptian worker carefully roll up the linen pall covering the second shrine, 30th October 1923. Image courtesy of Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, colourised by Dynamichrome

Discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb - in colour

Inside the outermost shrine in the burial chamber, a huge linen pall with gold rosettes, reminiscent of the night sky, covers the smaller shrines within, December 1923. Image courtesy of Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, colourised by Dynamichrome

Discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb - in colour

Carter, Callende, and two workers remove the partition wall between the antechamber and the burial chamber, 2nd December 1923. Image courtesy of Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, colourised by Dynamichrome

Discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb - in colour

A statue of Anubis on a shrine with pallbearers' poles in the treasury of the tomb, ca.1923. Image courtesy of Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, colourised by Dynamichrome

Discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb - in colour

Arthur Mace and Alfred Lucas work on a golden chariot from Tutankhamun's tomb outside the "laboratory" in the tomb of Sethos II, December 1923. Image courtesy of Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, colourised by Dynamichrome

Discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb - in colour

Howard Carter, Arthur Callender and an Egyptian worker wrap one of the sentinel statues for transport, 29th November 1923. Image courtesy of Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, colourised by Dynamichrome

Discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb - in colour

In a "laboratory" set up in the tomb of Sethos II, conservators Arthur Mace and Alfred Lucas clean one of the sentinel statues from the antechamber, January 1924. Image courtesy of Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, colourised by Dynamichrome

Discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb - in colour

Ornately carved alabaster vases in the antechamber, December 1922. Image courtesy of Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, colourised by Dynamichrome

Discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb - in colour

Chests inside the treasury, ca.1923. Image courtesy of Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, colourised by Dynamichrome

Discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb - in colour

A gilded bust of the Celestial Cow Mehet-Weret and chests sit in the treasury of the tomb, ca.1923. Image courtesy of Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, colourised by Dynamichrome

Discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb - in colour

Under the lion bed in the antechamber are several boxes and chests, and an ebony and ivory chair which Tutankhamun used as a child, December 1922. Image courtesy of Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, colourised by Dynamichrome

Discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb - in colour

A gilded lion bed and inlaid clothes chest among other objects in the antechamber, December 1922. Image courtesy of Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, colourised by Dynamichrome

Discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb - in colour

An assortment of model boats in the treasury of the tomb, ca. 1923. Image courtesy of Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, colourised by Dynamichrome

Discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb - in colour

A gilded lion bed, clothes chest and other objects in the antechamber. The wall of the burial chamber is guarded by statues, december 1922. Image courtesy of Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, colourised by Dynamichrome

Discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb - in colour

A ceremonial bed in the shape of the Celestial Cow, surrounded by provisions and other objects in the antechamber of the tomb, December 1922. Image courtesy of Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, colourised by Dynamichrome

Discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb - in colour

Howard Carter, Arthur Callender and an Egyptian worker open the doors of the innermost shrine and get their first look at Tutankhamun's sarcophagus, 4th January 1924. Image courtesy of Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, colourised by Dynamichrome

Discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb - in colour

Tutankhamun's burial mask, November 1925. Image courtesy of Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, colourised by Dynamichrome

Discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb - in colour

Lord Carnarvon, financier of the excavation, reads on the veranda of Carter's house near the Valley of the Kings, ca.1923. Image courtesy of Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, colourised by Dynamichrome

When his tomb was first discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter and Douglas Berry, it was left surprisingly intact and free from grave robbers.

This gave rise to the legend of the “curse of King Tut”, reportedly thought up by Sherlock Holmes author Arthur Conan Doyle, after nearly all the team involved in the excavation died shortly after the discovery.

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