Is Nefertiti buried in Tutankhamun’s tomb?

Hidden doorways in an ancient Egyptian tomb may lead to the long-lost resting place of Queen Nefertiti, a scientist claims.

The Egyptian queen Nefertiti was known as the "Lady of the Two Lands" 
[Credit: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images]

British-born archaeologist Dr Nicholas Reeves, based at the University of Arizona, made the claim after studying high-resolution scans of the walls of King Tutankhamun's burial chamber in the Valley of the Kings.

The scans are said to reveal two hidden entrances behind the painted plaster.

A possible hidden door behind which it is believed 
the Queen's tomb may lie [Credit: Alamy]

One appeared to lead to a store room and the other a continuation of Tutankhamun's burial chamber. Dr Reeves believes the second door may open into the tomb of Nefertiti, supposed mother of Tutankhamun, the "boy king" of ancient Egypt.

If he is right, a chamber of treasures more magnificent even than the tomb of Tutankhamun awaits discovery.

A diagram of King Tut's tomb showing the suspected locations 
of Nefertiti's tomb [Credit: Nicolas Reeves]

Dr Reeves wrote in a paper published by the Amarna Royal Tombs Project, which he heads: "Cautious evaluation of the ... scans over the course of several months has yielded results which are beyond intriguing: indications of two previously unknown doorways, one set within a larger partition wall and both seemingly untouched since antiquity. The implications are extraordinary."

The unusually small size of Tutankhamun's richly furnished burial chamber has puzzled archaeologists since its discovery in 1922.