Door to Afterlife found in Egyptian tomb
A LARGE red granite false door from the tomb of an ancient queen's powerful vizier has been discovered in Luxor.
|
|
March 29, 2010 10:15 PM
Afterlife Correspondent
A LARGE red granite false door from the tomb of an ancient queen's powerful vizier has been discovered in Luxor.
Egypt's culture minister said the carved stone door - which ancient Egyptians believed was the threshold to the afterlife - was unearthed near the Karnak Temple in Luxor and belongs to the tomb of User, a powerful adviser to the 18th dynasty Queen Hatshepsut.
The door, 1.75 metres high and 50cm thick, is engraved with religious texts and various titles used by User, including mayor of the city, vizier and prince, antiquities chief Zahi Hawass said.
"The newly discovered door was reused during the Roman period. It was removed from the tomb of User and used in the wall of a Roman structure," said Mansur Boraik, who headed the excavation mission.
Hatshepsut, who ruled Egypt between 1479 BC and 1458 BC, was the longest reigning female pharaoh.
|
|
