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Scans suggest ’90pc’ chance of hidden chamber in King Tutankhamun’s tomb

The boy king died aged 19 in 1324 BC after just nine years on the throne.

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“We can now say that we have to find behind the burial chamber of King Tutankhamun another chamber, another tomb”, said Mamduh al-Damati, Egypt’s antiquities minister.

A picture taken on November 28, 2015 shows the sarcophagus of King Tutankhamun displayed in his burial chamber in the Valley of the Kings, close to Luxor, 500 kms south of the Egyptian capital, Cairo.

Dr Reeves said: “Clearly it does look from the radar evidence as if the tomb continues, as I have predicted”.

“We said earlier there was a 60 per cent chance there is something behind the walls”, Damaty said. “But now after the initial reading of the scans, we are saying now its 90 percent likely there is something behind the walls”, said Damati.

King Tutankhamun’s tomb was found in 1922 under the supervision of another British archaeologist and Egyptologist, Howard Carter. The discovery made headlines around the world and continues to fascinate today.

Nefertiti’s burial site has always been a mystery as archaeologists have so far failed to find the queen’s tomb.

Famed for her beauty, Nefertiti was the subject of a famous 3,300-year-old bust and is thought to be the stepmother of Tutankhamum.

More recently, most experts, including Mr. Reeves, have come to believe she outlived Akhenaten, who may have been King Tut’s father, but changed her name and may have briefly ruled Egypt. “It’s another result. And nothing is contradicting the basic direction of the theory”.

“The data is being analysed to get a clear picture of what’s behind the wall”, he said.

Based on the detailed scans and photographs of Tut’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor which were published previous year by Factum Arte, a Spanish specialist in art and replication, Reeves noted that beneath the layers of paint, the texture of walls revealed cracks which may suggest the presence of two doors leading to passageways.

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Researchers say the discovery of a new chamber could shine new light on one of ancient Egypt’s most turbulent times, and one prominent researcher has theorized that the remains of Queen Nefertiti might be inside.

Archaeologists 90% certain of secret chamber behind Tutankhamun's tomb