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Tutankhamun tomb has numerous secret chambers, Egyptian official says after landmark study

Egyptian ministers have previously promised that the chamber would be ‘full of treasures’ and could be ‘the discovery of the 21st century’

Thursday 17 March 2016 10:31 GMT

Two previously secret chambers have been discovered hidden in King Tutankhamun’s tomb - and could finally solve the mystery surrounding Queen Nefertiti's final resting place.

Egypt's antiquities minister said experts were 90 per cent sure of the chambers' existence, with officials adding they could be “full of treasures”.

Scans indicate the two rooms, which are hidden on the north and eastern walls of the tomb, contain either metal or organic material.

It is hoped the previously undiscovered chambers might unlock many of the deepest secrets of the ancient Egyptians.

Some theories have suggested parts of the tomb may contain the resting place of Queen Nefertiti, who scholars have argued could have been Tutankhamun’s mother. The Egyptian antiquities minister said that he thought the tomb could contain the remains of a member of Tutankhamun's family, but would not speculate on whether or not that might be Nefertiti.

If the chambers are hiding the tomb of Queen Nefertiti, they could be one of the most important archaeological finds of the 21st century, with some having claimed Tutankhamun’s tomb was originally built for the 'Great Royal Queen'.

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

The discovery was made after a Japanese radar study that looked to map out the contents of the tomb. The researchers will conduct a more advanced scan at the end of this month that will be able to check for certain whether the empty spaces are chambers.

If that scan comes back with proof, then the team will discuss how and when they can get into the rooms.

"We can say more than 90 percent that the chambers are there," said Mamdouh Eldamaty, an egyptologist who is the country's antiquities minister.

"But I never start the next step until I'm 100 percent."

Video shows tourist illegally climb Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt

The tomb in Luxor in Egypt was found in 1922 by a team supervised by British Archaeologist Howard Carter.

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