Egypt's Minister of Antiquities Khaled El-Enany did not stop radar surveys on King Tutankhamun’s tomb upon the request of former minister Mamdouh Eldamaty or Egyptologist Nicolas Reeves.
Rather, he has postponed any survey until a scientific discussion takes place among scholars during the second round of the international seminar on Tutankhamun scheduled 8 May.
El-Enany told Ahram Online that news articles reporting the contrary are unfounded.
"All scientific works have been postponed since the second and last radar survey [conducted at the end of March], in order to discuss the whole project and Reeves' theory among scholars during the upcoming seminar at the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM)," he added.
The results of previous radar surveys, carried out by Japanese radar expert Hirokatsu Watanabe and an American survey carried out by Eric Berkenpes, would be discussed as well as Reeves' claimis that Tutankhamun’s burial chamber conceals Queen Nefertiti’s resting place.
Reeves proposed his theory last August after close examination of high-resolution 3D laser scan photographs taken by the Spanish Factum Arte Organisation in creating a replica of Tutankhamun’s tomb, now erected in the area adjacent to the resthouse of its discoverer on Luxor’s west bank.
The first radar survey carried out on November by Watanabe revealed anomalies and empty space behind the west and north walls of Tutankhamun’s burial chamber.
The survey carried out in March by the American expert from the Geophysical Search Survey Inc produced data and indications, but the results were not announced because time for more study was needed to reach a definitive conclusion.
