Luxor

11 Stories

Archaeologists Unearth an Ancient Egyptian Tomb

Site near Luxor was used for 11 burials

(Newser) - Archeologists from Egypt and the United States unearthed an ancient tomb with 11 sealed burials near the famed city of Luxor, Egyptian authorities said. Egypt's Tourism and Antiquities Ministry said the tomb, which dates back to the Middle Kingdom (1938BC to 1630BC), was found in the South Asasif necropolis,...

A 'Mind-Blowing' Find: Egypt's 'Lost Golden City'

Archaeologists tease 'untouched tombs filled with treasures' in Luxor

(Newser) - Big news out of Egypt, where a 3,000-year-old lost city has reportedly been found buried under the sand untouched. The "lost golden city of Luxor," as Egyptologist Zahi Hawass dubs it, was uncovered in September and dates to the reign of Tutankhamun's grandfather, Amenhotep III, who...

Report: 2 Dead, Hundreds Detained in Egyptian Protests

Rare demonstrations on economical grievances have erupted over the last few weeks

(Newser) - Egyptian authorities have arrested hundreds of people in their effort to clamp down on a spate of small but exceptionally rare protests across the country, a global watchdog and human rights lawyers said Friday. Riot police forcibly dispersed the limited demonstrations over economic grievances that erupted across several impoverished, rural...

20 Sealed Coffins Uncovered in Egypt

And nearby, evidence of funerary items produced on an 'industrial scale'

(Newser) - The colorful strokes, painted millennia ago, are still visible beneath a layer of dirt, which is partly why Egypt's antiquities ministry is celebrating the discovery of more than 20 ancient coffins as one of the "largest and most important" finds in the country in recent years. But the...

Researchers May Finally Settle King Tut Tomb Mystery

Third scan will look for a hidden chamber

(Newser) - The theory that King Tut's tomb also holds the remains of his stepmother, the legendary Queen Nefertiti, has tantalized Egyptian archaeology for nearly three years. But after two scans with ground-penetrating radar proved inconclusive, National Geographic reports that third major scan is underway at the tomb in Luxor's...

19 Tourists Killed After Balloon Plunges 1K Feet

Tourists from Britain, France, Hong Kong killed in Egypt crash

(Newser) - A hot air balloon flying over Egypt's ancient city of Luxor caught fire and crashed into a sugar cane field early today, killing at least 19 foreign tourists, a security official says. The casualties included French, British, and Japanese nationals, as well as nine tourists from Hong Kong. Three...

Egyptians Head to Polls for Election, Part 2

Historically conservative regions vote today

(Newser) - Egyptians headed to the polls for the second of their three-phase election today, with the likelihood that the Islamists would pull ahead even further. Islamist parties had a strong showing in Egypt's first round of polling, and the regions voting today—which include Giza, Luxor, Aswan, and Ismailia—historically...

Statue of King Tut's Granddad Unearthed

Likeness of Amenhotep III stands more than four feet tall

(Newser) - The King Tut news just keeps coming: There was the mystery of his death (solved!), the curse of his grave , and who can forget: the case of his missing penis . Now, Egyptologists are excited to report they've found a limestone statue of the Boy King's grandfather. The sculpture of...

Egyptian Desert Yields 'Door to Afterlife'

Massive granite slab was moved from tomb to Roman building

(Newser) - A decorative granite door that dates to the 15th century BC has come to light in Egypt, illustrating the importance the ancient society attached to connections to the afterlife. The 6-foot-tall granite slab came from the tomb of User, a top adviser to Queen Hatshepsut. It would have been intended...

Enormous Pharaoh Head Found
 Enormous Pharaoh Head Found 

Enormous Pharaoh Head Found

8-foot artifact is best likeness yet of Amenhotep III

(Newser) - A remarkably intact stone likeness of the head of the Pharaoh Amenhotep III has been found in the Egyptian city of Luxor. The granite statue is 8 feet tall and gives the most complete picture of the ruler's face. "Other statues have always had something broken—the tip of...

DNA Tests Set for Baby Girls in King Tut's Tomb

Was mummy a daddy?

(Newser) - The 3,000-year-old mummified remains of two stillborn baby girls found in King Tutankhamun's tomb will undergo DNA testing to dermine their relationship to Egypt's famous boy king and Queen Nefertiti. The babies' remains were discovered in Tut's tomb in 1922 but never publicly displayed, reports the BBC.

11 Stories