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In Pictures: New Archaeological Discoveries Made in Luxor’s Valley of the ‎Kings ‎

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In Pictures: New Archaeological Discoveries Made in Luxor’s Valley of the ‎Kings ‎
written by
Kareem Sheta

Featured images courtesy of H. Elrasam / VOA.

 

We have all probably heard of the internationally renowned World Heritage Site, the Valley of the Kings, where Howard Carter discovered the tomb of the legendary Tutankhamun in 1922. Before the 1900s, over 50 royal tombs of pharaohs and members of nobility of the New Kingdom were unearthed on the west bank of the Nile, opposite Luxor. And now, we have a few more key relics to add to the list of discoveries!

According to Live Science, the Valley of the Kings, also known as the East Valley, witnessed the recent discovery of two mummies and “the tools that the ancient Egyptians used to construct a royal tomb,” said Dr Zahi Hawass, leader of the expedition, which started in 2017. But our adventure doesn’t stop there.

Nearby, in the West Valley, also known as the Valley of the Monkeys and very similar to the Valley of the Kings in its topography and geography, is where the rest of the story takes place. According to Reuters, archaeologists discovered an industrial zone of 30 workshops, built for different purposes, which were “composed of houses for storage and the cleaning of the funerary furniture, with many potteries, dated to Dynasty 18.” Also, a water storage tank, an oven used to fire clay and work metal, and different forms of valuable artefacts, including a scarab ring and inlay beads, were found.

Voice of America states that excavations are still ongoing in the West Valley in search for the tombs of Queen Nefertiti and her daughter, and widow of Tutankhamun, Ankhsenamun. Watch his press briefing right here, via Luxor Times, with the Minister of Antiquities in attendance. 

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