Another King Tut's related discovery would change chapters in history books. This time in Sakkara

This morning at Sakkara, Dr. Mamdouh El-Damaty, minister of antiquities, accompanied with governor of Giza and Dr. Alain Zivie (head of the French mission who has been working on the site since 1996 and discovered the tomb of Maia) visited the tomb after the completion of the cleaning and restoration of the tomb.

Maia’s tomb will be open to public for the first time soon.

Dr. El-Damaty said "During the recent cleaning of the tomb, an ostracon was found inscribed with the title of "Mistress of Women" which made the team believe that Maia wasn't only King Tutankhamon's wet nurse but she probably had a higher position if she held the title "Mistress of Women" even though the "wet nurse" is the most known title of her.

The minister added "There is a possibility that Maia could be the sister of Tutankhamon who is called "Meritaten"." In the royal tomb of Meketaten (Elder daughter of Akhnaten) in Tell Amarna there is a scene depicting "Meritaten" breast feeding (nursing) a baby who is believed to be "Tutankhamon"

Dr. Mahmoud Affifi, head of Egyptian antiquities department, said "The tomb was reused heavily in late periods and Greco-Roman time as cats cemetery where original scenes and inscriptions were covered with stones and building material. The cleaning process included removing all those addition to show the tomb as it was in its original state."

Dr. Mahmoud Affifi mentioned that the tomb will receive the visitors soon in the near future.

Below a video of Minister of Antiquties, Dr. Mamdouh El-Damaty talking to Luxor Times about what is possible to be found behind the walls of King Tutankhamon's tomb in the Valley of the Kings (KV62) and the link with Maia's tomb in Sakkara.

Last year, there was a sarcophagus dated back to Third Intermediate Period (TIP) discovered in the tomb during clearing the debris. (More information HERE)

Photos and video copyrights: Luxor Times magazine

Photographer: Mohamed Anwar

#Egypt #Cairo #Giza #Sakkara #Saqqara #KingTut #NewKingdom #History #Archaeology #Egyptology #KV62 #TIP 

Revealed: King Tut's tomb has more rooms to explore

Dr. Mamdouh El Damaty has announced the results of the Geo Radar which was used in the tomb of Tutankhamon (KV62) You can watch the video below of the minister's announcement at the conference.

What's the story behind the scenes?

The crucial 48 hours in the search for Nefertiti. with behind the scenes footage in Luxor Times. Stay tuned!

#Egypt #Luxor #Egyptology #Archaeology #Nefertiti #KV62 #KingTut #ReevesNefertiti

Breaking New: Latest update on Nefertiti's hidden burial in King Tut's tomb

Minister of Antiquities to determine if Nefertiti is buried in King Tut's tomb in September.

Dr. Mamdouh El Damaty, Minister of Antiquities, said that he contacted Dr Nicholas Reeves regarding Dr. Reeves' hypothesis about the burial of Nefertiti behind secret doors in King Tut's tomb.

Th minister said that during the call he agreed with Reeves to come to Egypt in the second half of September to present all details of his theory in a debate with Egyptologists working for the ministry of antiquities.

Based on the outcome of the debate, then will head to Luxor in an attempt to prove the clues Reeves based his theory on and announce the results in an international press conference.

 

El Damaty emphases that the ministry of antiquities can not make any statements regarding archaeological information or potential discoveries without going through the scientific studies and experiments then make the announcement in order not to cause confusion in the Egyptology field. 

#Egypt #Luxor #Nefertiti #Tut #ReevesNefertiti #Egyptology #Archaeology

Minister of Antiquities responds to Reeves announcement on Nefertiti's burial

First official response to Reeves announcement on Nefertiti's tomb

It has been nearly two weeks since Dr. Nicholas Reeves made an announcement regarding King Tut Ankh Amon's tomb. Today, the Minister of Antiquities has finally spoken on the matter. Dr. Reeves believes the tomb has hidden rooms that may contain the burial of Queen Nefertiti, something many media outlets are already dubbing a discovery.  

Upon returning from a trip to Japan, Dr. Mamdouh El Damaty, Minister of Antiquities,said he plans to approach Dr. Reeves to find out what scientific clues Reeves based his announcement on. The Minister went on to say that the Egyptian government plans to conduct several studies to determine if Dr. Reeves' hypothesis is correct.

 #Egypt #Luxor #Nefertiti #Tut #ReevesNefertiti #Egyptology #Archaeology

Remains of Long-Lost New Kingdom temple discovered in Gebel El Silsila

Dr. Mamdouh El Damaty, Minister of Antiquities, announced today the discovery of foundations and remains of a temple in Gebel El Silsila quarry site. (65km north of Aswan)  
 

Lund University mission directed by Dr. Maria Nilsson and Dr. John Ward have been working at the site since 2012 and unearthed cartouches for Amenhotep III and Ramses II as well as rock inscriptions. (For previous discoveries at the site, please click HERE)

The Minister said “The importance of this discovery that it confirms the site of Gebel El Silsila was not only used a sandstone quarry but it has also a religious importance which explains building this temple.”

The discovered remains of the temple show that it is dated to the New Kingdom. The archaeological evidences refer to 4 eras beginning with the Thutmose then Amenhotep III followed by Ramses II and Roman period.

Nasr Salama, General director of Aswan antiquities, said “The temple location was defined using one of G. Burkard’s published maps. The temple foundations are to the west north of Amenhotep IV stela.”

“The temple measures 35.2meters by 18.2meters. It includes four layers, columns bases, inner and outer walls. Also there are obvious marks on the ground refer to 5 columns bases in the west side of the temple.” Nasr added.

The site is clearly still has a lot to be found and we hope to see more soon during the next seasons of the mission work at the site.

#Egypt #Luxor #Aswan #Egyptology #Archaeology #Heritage #Discovery #Friendsofsilsila

Photos are courtesy of MOA

British archaeologists discovered an Old Kingdom Mastaba in Delta. Updated

Egypt Exploration Society mission unearthed a mastaba dated back to the reign of King Khaba of 3rd Dynasty (rules for 6 years) in Quesna, Minufiya governorate in the Delta.

Dr. Mamdouh El Damaty, Minister of Antiquities said "It is the first time to discover an Old Kingdom tomb in Quesna which is known for Roman period antiquities.”

Dr. Joanne Rowland (Free University, Berlin), director of the mission (EES Delta Survey) said " In 2010, a mud brick structure was discovered to the north of the site, which the associated pottery led the team to suspected was an early Old Kingdom Mastaba. When the excavation of this structure resumed in 2014, the initial identification was confirmed and along with the finding of many beads, a mud seal impression with the name of King Khaba (Dynasty III) was discovered in one of the two burial niches. This may indicate that the tomb belonged to a high official from this king's reign."

#Egypt #Egyptology #Archaeology #EES

Exclusive: The 5$ ticket issue of Mut and Isis temples, reason and solution

Luxor Times has had received several comments and complains from visitors to Luxor who tried to visit Mut temple on the east bank and Isis temple at Deir Shelwit on the West Bank. 

Visitors were complaining that at the ticket offices they were asked to pay the ticket price in American dollars as the ticket says it is for 5$ and of course they can't accept any other currency because as a governmental office so they have to deposit the money for the tickets in the same amount printed on each ticket.

Many visitors, especially if they were not Americans, didn't have dollars on them and had to find a way to get them which was a problem and created a black market to buy dollars at higher rates as one tour guide had to get the dollars for his clients. 

Luxor Times tried to get to the bottom of this while at the same time we mentioned it to the Minister of Antiquities, Dr. Mamdouh El Damaty in person about couple of months ago and asked for it to be changed. 

We managed to know from a reliable source that this issue was a mistake as a result of misunderstanding.

The two temples were opened on the same day in January 2014 after the restoration work was done by ARCE (American Research Center in Egypt) funded by USAID and prepared them to be open for visits. 

When ARCE finished their work, it was suggested to make the ticket to each temple of 5 dollars worth. 

Someone in the Ministry of Antiquities tickets printshop thought that what it should be, 5 US Dollars not the equivalent in Egyptian pounds beside the spelling mistakes.

On Saturday, Dr. Youssef Khalifa, head of ancient Egyptian antiquities department, told Luxor Times that the issues has been addressed and approval given to issue new tickets in Egyptian pounds without waiting for the existing tickets to be all sold.

Remember that you need to get Mut temple ticket at Karnak temple ticket office and for the Isis temple at Deir Shelwit, tickets to be purchased at the main ticket office on the West Bank. 

#Egypt #Luxor #Antiquities #Isis #MutTemple #5$ticket 

Many thanks to Carina Felske and Nadine Wesselink for helping us with their tickets' photos.

Archaeologists unearth a new tomb in Luxor

A new tomb discovered on the West Bank of the Nile on Luxor. The tomb belong to a New Kingdom official. The tomb was discovered today during the normal cleaning work in the courtyard of the existing mission concession. 

The tomb walls have hieroglyphics inscriptions in a fairly good condition. The name of the tomb owner was also identified. 

More details to follow as soon as possible :-)

#Egypt #Luxor #Egyptology #Discovery #History #Archaeology #LuxorTimes

Full report on the Sun Cult complex in Hatshepsut temple after restoration

The opening ceremony of the Complex of the Sun Cult in the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari will take place on Sunday noon.

The event is organized by the Egyptian Ministry of State for Antiquities in cooperation with the PCMA Research Centre in Cairo and the Embassy of the Republic of Poland.

Celebration is planned to start with the speeches of Dr. Mahmoud Eldamaty (Minister of Antiquities), H. E. Mr. Michał Murkociński (Ambassador of the Polish Republic) and Dr. Zbigniew Szafrański (Director of the Polish-Egyptian Archaeological and Conservation Mission in the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari)

The complex of the Sum cult in the temple of Hatshepsut at Deir El-Bahari

Sun Cult Complex (Photo courtsey of The Egyptian-Polish Archaeological and Conservation Mission of the temple of Hatshepsut at Deir El-Bahari)

The complex of the Sum cult is a group of rooms located in the northern part of the upper terrace of Hatshepsut's temple at Deir El-Bahari. It was first unearthed by the expedition of the Egypt Exploration Fund in 1893 under the direction of Edouard Naville and some of its texts and representations were published in his monumental publication of the whole temple.

 Edouard Naville plans 1895

 Sun Cult complex before restoration (Photo courtsey: Archive of The Egyptian-Polish Archaeological and Conservation Mission of the temple of Hatshepsut at Deir El-Bahari)

No other work was done in the complex until the undertaking of the restoration of the upper part of the temple by the Egyptian-Polish Archaeological and Preservation mission to the temple of Queen Hatshepsut. The works of the mission directed by Eng. Zygmunt Wysocki (1968-1988), Dr. Franciszek Pawlicki (1992-1999) and Dr. Zbigniew E. Szafranski (1999 till present) resulted with the final restoration and conservation of this part of Hatshepsut's temple. Hundreds of the decorated blocks in the temple's storerooms, were attributed and finally insert into the walls of the complex. The Sun altar and walls of the courtyard were restored as well. The upper Anubis shrine was secured against Esna-shale rocks and its famous representations protected by conservators.

Theoritical reconstruction of the Sun altar in Sun Cult complex by Architect T. Dziedzid 3D render by P.Srokowski

Finally the publication of the complex was done by Dr. Janusz Karkowski who was also responsible for Egyptological project of the restoration works.

The complex consists of two main rooms: the Night Sun chapel (Vestibule) and the altar courtyard together with two small transitory rooms, one separating the Night Sun chapel from the Altar courtyard and the other separating the Night Sun chapel from the rest of the upper courtyard. There are also three small niches as well: two in the west and south walls of the Altar courtyard and one in then north wall of the Night Sun chapel.

The upper Anubis shrine, adjacent to the north wall of the altar courtyard, apparently was not an essential part of the complex but the exact function of this temple unit remains to be determined.

The Night Sun chapel was decorated with the representations of the solar bark with the sun god while his nocturnal journey in the netherworld. The location of the chapel in the eastern part of the complex stressed the idea of the resurrection of the sun in the eastern horizon after having travelled through the netherworld at night. From this chapel comes also the very first attestation of the text called King as the Sun Priest, an important theological treatise that stresses the role of the pharaoh as the heir and the servant of the solar god.

 Photos above and below showing the work of the mission during the project in 2002
(Photo courtsey:The Egyptian-Polish Archaeological and Conservation 

Mission of the temple of Hatshepsut at Deir El-Bahari)

The Altar courtyard is, contrary to the Night Sun chapel, open to the sun light. The courtyard is dominated by the huge limestone altar which every day was touched by the sun rays. This part of the complex is dedicated to the diurnal journey of the sun in the sky.

Together with the Night Sun chapel it constitutes thus the small scale representation of the whole universe, mirroring the diurnal and nocturnal journey of the sun god.

The main deity worshiped in the complex of the Sun cult was Amun-Re, but an important place was reserved also for Ra-Horakhty and Atum-Amun, which are nothing more than three different aspects and forms of the solar god, complementing each other. The rituals represented on the complex walls were performed by the king which once again stressed the role of the pharaoh as the heir of the sun god. In the case of Hatshepsut it had also an additional purpose of the legitimisation of her kingships as she claimed to be the bodily daughter of Amun-Ra himself.

Now, after the restoration, the complex of the Sun cult at Deir El-Bahari is one of the best preserved in the Theban temples. Its architectural arrangement and theological ideas were followed by pharaohs of the New Kingdom, by Ramses II, especially.

  

Restoration works in the Upper Anubis shrine in the complex of the Sun Cult, 

Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir El-Bahari

 General view of the shrine (photo courtesy: The Egyptian-Polish Archaeological and Conservation 

Mission of the temple of Hatshepsut at Deir El-Bahari)

Until 2002, the vault of the Upper Anubis shrine was protected by a temporary wooden shelter on the form of a gable roof with a slope of ~45º (100%). Technical condition of this shelter structure left much to be desired with the outer roofing damaged, frayed at the roof edges and with sections missing. It no longer served its purpose. Design guidelines for protection of the shrine and installing a roof above were invented and designed by Mieczyslaw Michiewicz in 1999.

The technical design for the roof satisfied the following physic-technical functions:

1) Protection from rainfall and water flow from neighbouring rock slope;

2) Protection from dynamic rock fall from considerable heights and uncontrolled burying under rock;

3) Safe transfer of load from planned burying under rock detritus of the shelter roof up to 1.5 meters high;

4) Ensuring ventilation of space between top of shrine vault and the shelter roof;

5) Protection from temperature variation, water condensation and ultraviolet radiation.

 (photos below are courtesy of The Egyptian-Polish Archaeological and Conservation Mission of the

 temple of Hatshepsut at Deir El-Bahari)

It was designed as a spatial, steel and reinforced concrete structure rising above the top of the shrine's vault. The carrying framework is formed if welded steel trapeze frames made of double T hot rolled profiles 140 mm high, spaced axially every 85 cm. These frames were supported on steel beams concreted in rock-cut sockets on one side and supported on the uncovered part of the north wall of the Altar courtyard on the other.

The supports distribute the vertical and horizontal loads from the frame strutting. The edge frame set on the wall surface was reinforced with steel tighteners, limiting the considerable spread of the support beams. The steel frames were filled with monolithic robbed plates 14 cm thick, reinforced with smooth steel of A0 class, 8 mm in diameter and with a span of 15 cm.

The edge panel of the reinforced concrete slab on the side of the rock slope is supported on a steel frame and continuous groove cut in the rock. The steel structure was given a rustproof costing. B20 monolithic concrete was used (C16/20). Slabs were poured in traditional framework of galvanised steel sheets, the latter also protecting the top surfaces of the shrine's vault from the wet concrete mass. 

The top surface of the roof shelter was covered with two layers of a bitumen mass, additionally protecting against water and damp.

Once the concrete achieved full strength, the roof shelter was covered with rock detritus, which was designed to act additionally as a shock-absorbing layer for dynamic rock falls from considerable heights.

Work on the north wall of the court proceeded concurrently with structural work on the shrine. In line with the program guidelines, stone blocks of specific dimensions according to the historic courses were prepared.

Above the ancient vault of the shrine, one of the blocks was mounted in a movable position in order to assure continuous monitoring of the original vault, this in line with ICOMOS charter of 2003 (pt. 3.21) which says that "checks and monitoring during and after the intervention should be carried out to ascertain the efficacy of the results."

Tomorrow, more footage and details with Luxor Times

 #Egypt #Luxor #Hatshepsut #Archaeology #History