Egypt reopens Amenhotep III’s tomb after 20 years

Egypt has reopened a tomb of a pharaoh for visitors aft much than two decades of renovation successful the southern metropolis of Luxor, arsenic it prepares for the authoritative opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum successful Cairo.

The immense tomb of Amenhotep III, who ruled past Egypt betwixt 1390 B.C. and 1350 BC, is located connected the western broadside of the famed Valley of the Kings.

It was recovered successful 1799 by two radical and its contents were looted, including the sarcophagus, Egyptian antiquities authorities said.

It has been under a Japanese-led, three-phased restoration task for the past two decades, including renovating paintings of the pharaoh and his wife connected the tomb walls, said Mohamed Ismail, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.

“It’s a very fascinating tomb,” helium told The Associated Press astatine the scene, adding that it includes a framework of the stolen sarcophagus box, with the lid successful spot where it would person been.

The tomb starts with a 36-metre-long, 14-metre-deep, downward-sloping passageway beneath the Valley of the Kings.

It includes a main burial enclosure for the king, and two different chambers for his wives, Tiye and Sitamun.

Unlike different past tombs successful the valley, the tomb is not afloat decorated, Ismail said. Its paintings amusement Amenhotep III with a radical of past Egyptian gods, and the burial enclosure contains inscriptions of scenes from the Book of the Dead, which is simply a postulation of spells aimed astatine directing the dormant done the underworld successful past Egypt.

The mummy of Amenhotep III was moved by past priests to the tomb of his grandfather, Amenhotep II, besides successful the Valley of the Kings, according to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation.

The severely damaged mummy is showcased astatine the depository with 16 different mummies of 17 kings and queens of past Egypt.

The mummy of Amenhotep III was moved by past priests to the tomb of his grandfather, Amenhotep II, besides successful the Valley of the Kings, according to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation.

Amenhotep III was 1 of the astir salient pharaohs of the 18th Dynasty of past Egypt, which ruled betwixt 1550 BC and 1292 BC Known arsenic Amenhotep the Great, helium ascended the throne arsenic a teenager and ruled for up to 38 years, according to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation.

The tomb’s reopening came little than a period earlier the authoritative inauguration of the Grand Egyptian Museum adjacent the Giza Pyramids.

The depository is scheduled to unfastened connected November 1. The reopenings are portion of Egypt’s efforts to pull much overseas visitors to revive the tourism sector, a large source of overseas currency.

Tourism, which depends heavy connected Egypt’s affluent pharaonic artifacts, suffered a agelong downturn aft the governmental turmoil and violence that followed a 2011 uprising.