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New scanning needed before opening King Tutankhamun's tomb to find Nefertiti’s remains

The search follows claims by British Egyptologist Nicholas Reeves that King Tutankhamun's tomb discovered by English archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922 may contain hidden chambers

CAIRO, April 1. /TASS/. Additional scanning of King Tutankhamun's tomb in the Valley of Kings is needed to determine if the resting place also contains the remains of legendary Queen Nefertiti, Egypt's Antiquities Minister Khaled El-Enany said on Friday.

"In late April we will conduct the final fourth scanning with additional technologies, then we will consider opening the back walls of the tomb," the minister said.

The third scanning took place on March 31. According to former Egyptian Antiquities Minister Mamdouh el-Damaty, the researches received lots of information and need a week to study it.

The search follows claims by British Egyptologist Nicholas Reeves that King Tutankhamun's tomb discovered by English archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922 may contain hidden chambers.

Reeves also says that the tomb was most likely built for a queen, rather than a king.

A decision to open the tomb will be made upon the completion of radiological research and infrared thermography tests.

Previous scans of Tutankhamun's tomb carried out by Japanese experts last fall revealed the presence of additional rooms in the pharaoh's chamber.

The resting place of Queen Nefertiti, the Great Royal Wife of Tutankhamun's father Akhenaten, has never been found. Its location remains one of the greatest mysteries of Ancient Egypt.