Queen Nefertiti's tomb could be close to discovery, says Dr Zahi Hawass

Dr Zahi Hawass says he believes Queen Nefertiti's tomb may be located in the eastern Valley of the Kings, where his team is excavating; recent work in the area has produced finds including two tombs and a large pink granite false door.

Dr Zahi Hawass says he is closing in on the possible burial place of Queen Nefertiti and hopes to make the discovery before he retires. He discussed this in a recent documentary about his career. Hawass and his team are excavating in the eastern Valley of the Kings, near the tomb of Hatshepsut. The work is aimed at mapping the area and identifying possible burial locations. Current findings: - Hawass has said he believes Nefertiti's tomb could be in the eastern Valley of the Kings and that a discovery could happen soon, as reported in interviews and a documentary. - The team has previously uncovered tombs identified as KV65 and KV66 while working in the region. - In 2022 Hawass suggested one of two mummies he found in the Valley of the Kings might be Nefertiti; that assertion was not substantiated, according to reporting. - A recent excavation led by Hawass examined a 4,400-year-old tomb thought to belong to a previously unknown prince, Userefre, and exposed a large pink granite false door measuring about 4.5 metres by 1.15 metres. - Scholars describe such false doors as symbolic portals where family and priests left offerings and recited the deceased's name so the ka could travel between the tomb and the netherworld. Summary: Locating Nefertiti's tomb could shed light on whether she assumed full pharaonic power after Akhenaten's death and on the political changes of that period. Hawass says he hopes to make the discovery before retiring and his team continues fieldwork in the eastern Valley of the Kings. Undetermined at this time.