Scientists working in Tutankhamun’s tomb in Egypt have found geophysical evidence that unknown corridors and chambers lie beyond its walls — reviving the search for Queen Nefertiti’s burial place.
A new investigation of the famous tomb (KV62) in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings has revealed underground anomalies which researchers say may be a hidden complex of rooms and passageways.
The results are not conclusive, however — and independent experts have cautioned until more detailed data (or physical evidence) is available.
Researchers used ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and microgravity measurements to investigate the tomb and surrounding ground. The latter detects tiny changes in Earth’s gravitational field which scientists can use to identify differences in the density of material below the surface.
The team says the combined evidence points towards structures that could pre-date the burial of Tutankhamun.
Mamdouh Eldamaty, an archaeologist at Ain Shams University in Cairo and Egypt’s former antiquities minister, said the findings “suggest a possible hidden complex of corridors and rooms”.
One of the most interesting things they found is evidence of what they believe could be a two metre wide corridor filled with rubble extending away from Tutankhamun’s burial chamber.
Structural engineer and geophysics specialist George Ballard who analysed the survey results alongside data from earlier surveys says that earlier surveys might have missed it because they were looking for a large empty chamber immediately behind the tomb wall.
The microgravity survey involved more than 1,200 measurements taken across an area of about 35 square metres surrounding the tomb.
According to Ballard, some of the resulting anomalies appear to have low-density, right-angled structures aligned with the north wall of Tutankhamun’s burial chamber — characteristics that could be consistent with man-made spaces.
One feature, identified as “anomaly 7”, has attracted particular attention. It consists of a predominantly low-density zone containing a roughly square area of higher-density material.
Ballard has suggested this could potentially represent a chamber containing objects, although he acknowledged that the measurements are at the limits of what the technology can reliably detect.
Search for Nefertiti revived
The findings add another chapter to a debate that has continued for more than a decade.
In 2015, British Egyptologist Nicholas Reeves proposed that Tutankhamun’s tomb could conceal additional rooms, possibly including the burial chamber of Nefertiti, one of ancient Egypt’s most famous queens.
Tutankhamun’s tomb has long intrigued archaeologists because it is unusually small for a royal burial. Reeves argued that lines and cracks visible on the north wall of the burial chamber, together with alterations to its ancient paintings, could indicate a concealed doorway.
Under his theory, KV62 originally formed part of a substantially larger royal tomb. When Tutankhamun died unexpectedly at a young age, part of the existing complex could have been adapted for his burial while other sections were sealed.
Previous attempts to test the theory using geophysical technology have produced conflicting results, with some surveys indicating possible hidden spaces and others finding no convincing evidence.
The latest investigation has renewed interest in the possibility, but outside specialists say further evidence is needed.
Christopher Gaffney, an archaeologist and ground-penetrating radar specialist at the University of Bradford, described the research as “fascinating” but said the published information was insufficient to reach a definitive conclusion.
Geophysicist Peter Styles of Keele University said the microgravity evidence made the presence of chambers appear plausible, while also calling for more detailed data.
What could be behind the walls?
Even if hidden rooms are eventually confirmed, archaeologists caution that there is no guarantee they contain Nefertiti’s burial.
The spaces could instead be storerooms or another part of an earlier funerary complex. Any chambers might also have suffered significant damage from flash flooding in the Valley of the Kings.
Researchers nevertheless believe that physically investigating the anomalies could finally determine whether the decades-old mystery has a structural explanation.
The team has proposed drilling several small holes, approximately seven to eight centimetres wide, from the surface towards one of the strongest low-density anomalies several metres north of Tutankhamun’s burial chamber.
Remote-controlled miniature vehicles equipped with 360-degree cameras are already being tested and could potentially be sent through the openings to examine any spaces encountered underground.
Any excavation or drilling would require approval from Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities.
If permission is granted, researchers hope exploratory work could begin as early as November.
For now, the prospect of undiscovered rooms — and the possibility that one of ancient Egypt’s greatest archaeological mysteries could lie just metres beyond Tutankhamun’s burial chamber — remains tantalising but unproven.
Sources : Nature – https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-02984-6
