Recent radar scans of King Tutankhamen’s, better known as King Tut, tomb walls in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt has possibly revealed a secret that archaeologists and antiquities experts have been waiting for: the tomb of Queen Nefertiti.
People who have not been as mystified by ancient Egyptian history as I have might not be thrilled, but there is more than the satisfaction of solving a mystery at stake. Egypt desperately needs this discovery and, in particular, the country needs it to be Queen Nefertiti.
Since the Arab Spring uprising events that occurred in 2011, tourism of Egypt’s ancient monuments and museums has gone from 12,000 people a day before the uprising to around 300 — a declining number, according to the New York Times.
Apparently the only tourism area that hasn’t been declining for Egypt is the beach area around the coast. However, the Russian plane carrying a full load of passengers that crashed a month ago left no survivors has lead to a huge reduction in Egyptian beach tourism as well.
In short, tourists are afraid to go to Egypt and their fear has caused a serious deterioration in the economy. The only thing that can save Egypt is to increase tourism with the history-defining discovery of Queen Nefertiti’s tomb.
Archaeologists have said the discovery of Nefertiti’s tomb would be the find of the century. The 1922 discovery of King Tutankhamen’s tomb was originally dedicated to finding the final resting place of Nefertiti. Nefertiti is one of the most famous and important figures in ancient Egyptian history, mostly because many theories claim she came to rule Egypt after King Akhenaten died.
Personally, I have a lot of stake in this discovery. I have always had a soft spot for female rulers because matriarchy is awesome, and there are so few female rulers compared to men.
Also, the history surrounding Nefertiti and her burial is mysterious and something I remember learning through Discovery Channel specials on TV. So needless to say, I’ve been waiting for the answer to where Nefertiti is buried for as long as some of the archaeologists trying to find her tomb.
Although Egypt’s Antiquities Minister Mamdouh Eldamaty said in a press conference that there is an “approximately 90 percent” chance that there is “another chamber, another tomb” adjacent to King Tutankhamen’s tomb wall, archaeologists are going off of radar scans that indicate nothing more than a hollow area on the other side of the wall.
One archaeologist is actually convinced there is nothing on the other side of the wall in King Tut’s tomb. Zahi Hawass said, “I am an archaeologist for 40 years. I can smell a discovery and this is no discovery at all”.
There might be conflicting professional opinions on whether or not Queen Nefertiti’s tomb is there but there is one thing all sides agree on and that is Egypt is desperate for this to be true.
For my own curiosity and for the boost in tourism Egypt desperately needs, I really hope they find Nefertiti’s tomb. Not only would it be a fascinating discovery and provide answers to a centuries old mystery, but it would provide economic stimulus for a country that has been racked with political unrest and unfortunate events.
rcm2@indiana.edu
@RachelCMiller1
