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IVETTE FELICIANO: In Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, near Luxor, archeologists want to know what, if anything, lies behind the tomb’s 3,000-year-old limestone walls.
Yesterday, they completed 40 radar scans inside the tomb of Tutankhamun, boy king known as “King Tut,” who died at age 19 in 1323 B.C.
Scans last year suggested hidden chambers and passageways might exist — including a chamber that a British Egyptologist, Nicholas Reeves, has proposed could contain the undiscovered tomb of Queen Nefertiti.
NICHOLAS REEVES: I think there is still the possibility to find something that’s really remarkable here.
IVETTE FELICIANO: Nefertiti — an iconic symbol of Egyptian beauty – is widely believed to have been King Tut’s step-mother.
Her tomb would be one of the most significant archaeological finds in Egypt since the discovery of Tut’s treasure-lined tomb in 1922.
A joint Egyptian-American team is now studying the scans.
Egypt’s Minister of Antiquities said yesterday no excavation will occur unless the scan’s offer proof of a hidden chamber with something inside.
KHALED EL ENANY: We can make a drill, from the treasure small room on the side chamber, behind the reliefs, it will be only one inch diameter to reach this eventual cavity if it exists.
IVETTE FELICIANO: It will take at least a week for preliminary results, and then more scans will be done from outside and above Tut’s tomb.
Egyptologist Reeves remains hopeful Queen Nefertiti might be found.
NICHOLAS REEVES: If I’m right, fantastic, if I’m wrong, I’ve been doing my job, I’ve been following the evidence trail, and seeing where it leads.
IVETTE FELICIANO: Egypt is inviting archaeologists and experts from around the world to examine the new data at a conference next month in Cairo.
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