A joint Egyptian-British archaeological mission has discovered the tomb of Pharaoh Thutmose II, the last missing royal tomb of the 18th Dynasty, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced on Tuesday. The find marks the first royal tomb uncovered in Egypt since King Tutankhamun's in 1922.
The 3,500-year-old tomb, designated as "Tomb C4," was initially discovered in 2022 during excavation and research work in the C Valley, located approximately 2.4 kilometres west of the renowned Valley of the Kings in Luxor's western mountain region.
The tomb's entrance and main corridor were found at that time, but it was not until this year that archaeologists could confirm its ownership.
Inscriptions on alabaster jar fragments bearing the names of Thutmose II, on which he is identified as the “deceased king”, and his wife, Queen Hatshepsut, definitively identified the tomb as belonging to the 18th Dynasty ruler.
The discovery of Thutmose II's tomb is significant, as it is the first time funerary furniture belonging to this pharaoh has been found, with no such items existing in museums worldwide, said Dr Mohamed Ismail Khaled, secretary-general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities. It also completes the mapping of royal burial sites from this period, making it a significant milestone in the field of Egyptology.
The tomb's interior features remnants of blue-pigmented inscriptions and yellow star motifs adorning the plaster walls, as well as fragments of the Book of Amduat, a crucial religious text associated with royal tombs in ancient Egypt.
The artefacts found within the tomb provided "critical insights" into the history of the region and the reign of Thutmose II, according to the statements from Dr Khaled cited in the ministry's announcement. However, the tomb was found in poor condition due to flooding that occurred shortly after the pharaoh's burial, necessitating extensive restoration work by the archaeological team that took more than two years to complete.
"Water inundated the tomb, damaging its interior and necessitating extensive restoration work by the archaeological team to recover fallen plaster fragments," the ministry said in its statement. Preliminary studies suggest that the tomb's original contents were relocated to another site during ancient times following the flood.
The joint mission between the Supreme Council of Antiquities and the New Kingdom Research Foundation will continue its surveys in the area to uncover more of the region's history and locate the final resting place of the tomb's original contents.
Restoration will continue on the tomb, according to Dr Sahar Saleem, a radiology professor at Cairo University and mummy expert who conducted CAT scans on the remains of Thutmose II, which were discovered alongside a cache of other royal mummies at Luxor's Deir El Bahri site, another of the city's many ancient relics.
Scans on the mummy showed that it had been subjected to “violence at the hands of graverobbers in ancient times”, whereby the pharaoh was found with his neck broken, his hands had been broken and removed from their sockets. The king’s pelvis was also broken.
"The discovery of Thutmose II tomb has now completed another part of the mystery of how the pharaoh's remains ended up in Deir El Bahri in the first place," Dr Saleem told The National.
The scans also showed that the royal mummy’s injuries had been treated. His dislocated bones were returned to their sockets (albeit loosely), his arms were folded across his chest in its original royal posture and he was re-dressed before being reburied. The process is believed to have been performed by priests from 21st dynasty (1075-945 BCE) who were “horrified by the transgression on such a holy figure and took great care and time to restore him to his exalted state before his reburial,” Dr Saleem said.
The priests reburied him at Deir El Bahri alongside other royal pharaohs whose tombs had been similarly ravaged by robbers.
The cache remained hidden until its accidental discovery in 1881 by a member of the now famous Abdel Rasoul family, Ahmed, who reportedly stumbled upon the cache after his goat fell down a shaft in the rocks at Deir El Bahri.
Another member of the same family was Hussein Abdel Rasoul, the child who in 1922 stumbled upon the entrance to the nearby tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings while carrying water to the members of the archaeological mission led by Howard Carter, which at the time had been digging in the area. The family, native to Luxor, are well known for their discoveries.
Thutmose II was also one of the 22 royal mummies who in 2021 were paraded through Cairo's streets in a spectacular ceremony that transferred them from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square to the recently built National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation in Islamic Cairo.
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal / Ubisoft Toronto
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platforms: Playstation 4, Xbox One, Windows
Release Date: April 10
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The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands
The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
Casket match The Undertaker v Chris Jericho
Singles match John Cena v Triple H
Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v tba
Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Results
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 Group 1 (PA) US$75,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner: Ziyadd, Richard Mullen (jockey), Jean de Roualle (trainer).
7.05pm: Al Rashidiya Group 2 (TB) $250,000 (Turf) 1,800m
Winner: Barney Roy, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
7.40pm: Meydan Cup Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,810m
Winner: Secret Advisor, Tadhg O’Shea, Charlie Appleby.
8.15pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Plata O Plomo, Carlos Lopez, Susanne Berneklint.
8.50pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: Salute The Soldier, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.
9.25pm: Al Shindagha Sprint Group 3 (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Gladiator King, Mickael Barzalona, Satish Seemar.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Tips from the expert
Dobromir Radichkov, chief data officer at dubizzle and Bayut, offers a few tips for UAE residents looking to earn some cash from pre-loved items.
- Sellers should focus on providing high-quality used goods at attractive prices to buyers.
- It’s important to use clear and appealing photos, with catchy titles and detailed descriptions to capture the attention of prospective buyers.
- Try to advertise a realistic price to attract buyers looking for good deals, especially in the current environment where consumers are significantly more price-sensitive.
- Be creative and look around your home for valuable items that you no longer need but might be useful to others.
Getting there
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.
The stay
Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.
Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Saturday's results
Women's third round
- 14-Garbine Muguruza Blanco (Spain) beat Sorana Cirstea (Romania) 6-2, 6-2
- Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia) beat Lesia Tsurenko (Ukraine) 6-2, 6-1
- 7-Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) beat Polona Hercog (Slovenia) 6-4. 6-0
- Coco Vandeweghe (USA) beat Alison Riske (USA) 6-2, 6-4
- 9-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) beat 19-Timea Bacsinszky (Switzerland) 3-6, 6-4, 6-1
- Petra Martic (Croatia) beat Zarina Diyas (Kazakhstan) 7-6, 6-1
- Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia) beat Lesia Tsurenko (Ukraine) 6-2, 6-1
- 7-Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) beat Polona Hercog (Slovenia) 6-4, 6-0
Men's third round
- 13-Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria) beat Dudi Sela (Israel) 6-1, 6-1 -- retired
- Sam Queery (United States) beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France) 6-2, 3-6, 7-6, 1-6, 7-5
- 6-Milos Raonic (Canada) beat 25-Albert Ramos (Spain) 7-6, 6-4, 7-5
- 10-Alexander Zverev (Germany) beat Sebastian Ofner (Austria) 6-4, 6-4, 6-2
- 11-Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) beat David Ferrer (Spain) 6-3, 6-4, 6-3
- Adrian Mannarino (France) beat 15-Gael Monfils (France) 7-6, 4-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-2
The Matrix Resurrections
Director: Lana Wachowski
Stars: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jessica Henwick
Rating:****
