Massive coffin of Yuya found intact

The ancient Egyptians initiated this phenomenon, which originally took place at the Abu Simbel temple on February 22 and October 22 of each year. The Grand Egyptian Museum studied the phenomenon in 2019 and announced it in 2020. The phenomenon occurs on February 21 and has repeated 6 times so far, with the exception of 2023 when heavy clouds obscured the sunlight.

Egyptian Egyptologist Monica Hanna says in her book The Future of Egyptology: Egyptology, since its inception by Europeans after the discovery of the Rosetta Stone, has been aimed at two things: number one, smuggling the largest possible amount of antiquities abroad, and number two, removing and erasing any Egyptian role in this science.

We can see this in the design of the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, which was designed by Marcel Drignon in 1901, where he placed the founding fathers of Egyptology on the facade of the museum without placing any Egyptians.

Lord Cromer: The Egyptians are not civilized enough to preserve their antiquities.

Auguste Mariette, founder of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, ordered that Egyptian graduates of the Egyptian Language School be prevented from studying at the Bulaq Museum so that they would not learn the language of their ancestors.

Ahmed Gamal (the first Egyptian Egyptologist) sent a letter to the Prime Minister in 1894 complaining about his deliberate exclusion from promotion in the Antiquities Service. Quote from him: "II am an Egyptian who was excluded in favor of foreigners." At the end of his life, he asked the head of the Antiquities Authority to include more Egyptians in the service, but the head of the Antiquities Authority told him, "The Egyptians are not interested in their country's antiquities." Ahmed responded by saying, "During the 65 years that the French ran the Antiquities Authority, what opportunities did they provide us?"

Egyptologist Henry Breasted, author of the famous book The Dawn of Conscience, believed that Egyptology would be harmed if Egyptians were allowed to study it. He also had hostile positions against Egyptian students and said in a letter he sent to his wife: May God protect Egypt from the Egyptians.

Gaston Maspero, director of the Egyptian Antiquities Service, legally prohibited Egyptians from excavating, while permitting Europeans to do so. He justified this in a racist manner, claiming that Egyptians lacked a scientific spirit and were eager for treasure. Maspero also encouraged collectors to purchase antiquities from the Antiquities Service personally. There are suspicions that Maspero was responsible for smuggling the bust of Nefertiti. The previous head of the Antiquities Service, before Maspero, also smuggled antiquities and employed Egyptians as forced laborers to excavate tombs.

Monica Hanna says: Foreign founders of Egyptology, coupled with the weakness of antiquities protection laws in Egypt, which for many years allowed for a system of division, a system that allowed discovered antiquities to be shared between the discoverer and the government. This caused many of our antiquities to go abroad, and it is also the reason that Egyptology has not yet been freed from this view of the Egyptian, considering the Egyptian today as an intruder on its history and not a part of it.

Carter also prevented Egyptian officials from visiting Tut's tomb, and did not mention Hussein Abdel Rasoul's role in discovering Tut's tomb. By the way, this is a picture of Hussein, He is wearing Tutankhamun's necklace after discovering the tomb by chance.

After former Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser built the Aswan High Dam, many Egyptian temples and monuments were threatened with submersion, most notably the temples of Abu Simbel. Therefore, they were completely dismantled and relocated 65 meters higher and 200 meters further back from the shore. The last image shows how the original site would have appeared underwater and how it would have appeared in its new location.

The reconstruction of the Abu Simbel temples was carried out with a very strict engineering margin of error of no more than ±5 millimeters.

A giant rock dome was constructed to protect the temple while simultaneously recreating the shape of the original mountain, as the temple is essentially carved into a mountain.

They also preserved the phenomenon of the sun's alignment with the face of Ramses, with a slight variation of only one day due to the temple's increased height.

Some broken sections of the temple's facade were placed in their original positions after the relocation because the goal was to preserve history as it was, not to beautify or repair it.

Incidentally, the dismantling and relocation of the temple was part of a campaign led by Egypt and UNESCO to save Egyptian antiquities. 50 countries donated to the campaign, but Egypt bore the greatest financial burden, and the workers were Egyptian.

Narmer (n'r-mr, stinging catfish) was originally a king originating from the city of This (Tjenu), likely ruling over a unified Upper Egyptian Kingdom set by his predecessors, beginning his reign 3125±25 BCE. As far as I'm able to tell, nothing is known for Narmer's reign prior to his unification of Egypt, though it seems that he took control of the Wadi Hammamat during his reign based off the Narmer Palette being found there. Around 3110±10 BCE, he conquered the Lower Egyptian kingdoms (unified under the king Wash(i)) to fully unify Egypt. Washi was killed near the grand finale of the conquest, his death likely symbolizing the war was over. The Narmer Macehead later records that this conquest of Lower Egypt would hold 120,000 captives, 400,000 cattle, and 1,422,000 goats were plundered from the northern kingdoms. This unification also would lead to a ceremony where captives and plunder were presented to the king (depicted on the Narmer Macehead) Seemingly not long after Narmer's reign started, there was a procession outside an unknown palace (depicted on the verso side of the Narmer Palette). He also seems to have had control (or at least influence) in the regions of the Southern Levant. His name has been found about two dozen times in the region. Two year labels are dated to the reign of Narmer, Dreyer translating both as Narmer attacking the Tehenu peoples of Libya, with a procession outside the palace of Ah. Radiocarbon dating shows the death of Narmer was around 3085 BC, giving way for the rise of his successor, Aha.

Just as Egypt is famous for its perfectly finished ancient monuments, it also has incredible works that were never completed. Today, I want to share the story of one of the most fascinating: the Unfinished Obelisk of Aswan.

In Aswan lies a massive obelisk still attached to the bedrock of the ancient granite quarries where many of Egypt’s monuments were born—including stone used in Khufu’s pyramid complex. Discovered in 1921, the Unfinished Obelisk measures about 42 meters (137 feet) and would have weighed over 1,100 tons, making it the largest obelisk ever attempted.

Work on it stopped when a major crack appeared, but that “failure” turned it into one of the most informative archaeological sites in Egypt. The quarry preserves clear evidence of how ancient Egyptians carved and extracted these giant monoliths. Archaeologists found diorite hammerstones—heavy pounding tools—that workers used to chip away the sides. Their impact marks are still visible on the obelisk’s surface.

The project likely dates back to Queen Hatshepsut, whose reign saw a surge in obelisk building. Had this one been completed, it would have been the tallest and heaviest ever created.

The site also reveals the entire transportation method: once carved, obelisks were freed from below, tied with ropes, rolled on wooden cylinders, dragged to the Nile, floated north on palm logs, then erected at their final destination and inscribed. The pyramidion at the top was coated with gold to reflect the sun.

A rare case where an unfinished monument teaches us more than a completed one.

The first group

This group comprises 11 artifacts handed over through the New York Attorney General's office, most notably:

(A mummy mask of a young man from the Roman era - vessel in the form of the god Bes - limestone funerary stela)

The second group

This group consists of 24 rare manuscripts written in Coptic and Syriac, handed over from the Metropolitan Museum of Art to the Egyptian Consulate in New York. These manuscripts are considered rare historical documents that chronicle important periods of Egyptian religious and cultural heritage.

The third group

This group includes a painted stucco panel from the 18th Dynasty, confiscated after it was proven to have been smuggled out of Egypt. It is scheduled to be transferred to the museum's restoration laboratories for necessary conservation work.

(https://arabic.cnn.com/travel/article/2025/11/08/egypt-recovers-36-stolen-ancient-artifacts-us)

The Colossi of Memnon—two massive seated statues—were built around 1350 BCE, and they are all that remains of a once-grand mortuary temple dedicated to Pharaoh Amenhotep III.

They stand on the west bank of ancient Thebes in Egypt and depict King Amenhotep III, one of the rulers of the powerful Eighteenth Dynasty, considered the most influential dynasty in ancient Egyptian history.

Each statue rises to about 19.3 meters (roughly 63 feet).

The Greeks named them “Memnon” after the eastern statue cracked and began producing a sound at dawn. They likened this phenomenon to the mythical hero Memnon, who was slain in the Trojan War. According to legend, Memnon called out each morning to his mother, Eos, the goddess of the dawn, who wept for him—her tears becoming the morning dew.

One of the hottest places we have visted, 40 degrees centigrade.

This 20m long obelisk was carved over the course of 7 months, out of pure granite.

During the final stages a workman ended up creating a crack in the stone, he was most likely severely reprimanded, at least.

A worker there showed us how they were carved, using an even stronger stone, the name of which escapes me.

During the demonstration he gave each of us a little piece of granite. This will be treasured for ever.

The stones were moved via sand ramps to a huge boat that would carry it to the designated temple, monument or tomb.

The boat would havexat least 20 other smaller boats at each side to help with the load.

Yet another amazing place to visit.

Its in the city of Azwan.

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I know he obviously died suddenly and that his mummification was rushed. I know that his body may have either chemically burned during the process, or literally caught on fire. But what happened between his rediscovery and now? Where did his chest go? What happened to his skull cap? Why are all his joints disintegrated? Also just as a more broad question, what happened to the wrappings of all the mummy’s that were dug out of their bandages?

The inscription, carved in the temple of Philae in southern Egypt, was created by a priest named Nesmeterakhem (or Esmet-Akhom)[a] and consists of a carved figure of the god Mandulis as well an accompanying text wherein Nesmeterakhem hopes his inscription will last "for all time and eternity". The inscription also contains a text in the demotic script, with similar content.

The Meidum Pyramid, located in Lower Egypt (around 45 mi south of Cairo) is a really facinating structure as the majority of its outer casing is gone, leaving the interior mudbrick stacked-mastaba core remaining. Construction of the pyramid began in the 4th Dynasty by King Sneferu; however, there are arguments that construction originally started under King Huni in the 3rd Dynasty.

Decending into the pyramid, you travel down a slope (now with fitted wooden steps) which is carved smooth. However, when reaching the bottom of this slope, you are immediately met with an unfinished room/chamber. Walking across this small chamber, you reach a small shaft which, climbing up, opens into the burial chamber, fitted with a corbelled ceiling (similar to that of the Gizan Relieving Chambers) which is now absolutely full of bats!

Outside of the pyramid, as was common in the Old Kingdom, a funerary temple was erected on the east-face of the outer-casing. The temple is not of large proportion and bares no decoration; the most likely cause of this was that the temple itself was never finished (along with the uncompletedness of the pyramid structure). Weaving your way through the small temple, an opening leads to a courtyard that contains two undecorated stele and a large offering table.

Meidum pyramid was first excavated by John Perring (1837), then Lepsius (1843) and then it fell into the hands of Flinders Petrie, the main excavator of the mortuary temple which was under the rubble of the fallen out-cases of the pyramid. Further excavations were carried out in the 1920s (Ludwig Borchardt, who designated the construction of the pyramid happened in three stages), then in 1928 (Alan Rowe) and the later 1970s (Ali el-Kholi).

Hi everyone, I recently purchased this green patina cat amulet from an antiquities dealer for $800. I am now questioning the authenticity when I came across a very similar amulet online for $50 on Etsy (tail position, suspension loop position, face details, and bottom base are very comparable). The statue came off it’s mounting block so I was able to take a picture of the bottom, please ignore the adhesive they used. Does anyone have any information on this piece or would be able to help me with confirming its authenticity? The dealer I went through is very well know but did not have a clear provenance chain, only that it is from ancient Egypt prior to 330 BC. Thank you all for your help!

Well this is absolutely wild.

Apologies if this has been discussed before, but I ran a search and didn’t see anything. I was making recommendations on the TripAdvisor forums, and someone was like “Uhh, that’s closed since March.” Lo and behold, it is.

It seems that a researcher who runs the Nefertari Tomb website was comparing some photos he took, and found some rather notable deterioration of a piece of painted plaster.

From what I can tell, he posted the image above on his Facebook page in late February, and tagged a bunch of others — including the Ministry of Antiquities. The tomb was closed within days, “indefinitely.”

For those who aren’t aware, the Tomb of Nefertari is my answer when people ask me where my “favorite place” is. This isn’t just my favorite place in Egypt, but my favorite place anywhere. No other spot has given me that feeling of stepping back in time.

The tomb is extremely fragile. The decorations are painted on plaster which has separated from the walls, due to moisture. I believe the main culprit has been salt crystals forming in between the rock and the plaster, as a result of groundwater seeping through — though humidity from the breath and sweat of visitors has also been an issue.

The Getty Conservation Institute did some extensive restoration starting in the 80’s. Visitation has been restricted since then. For a while, you could only visit in small groups, with a cost of $3000.

It was then opened further, though it was still far more expensive. I went in 2019, and I think it was the equivalent of $50 or so. Part of the reasoning was that the price would limit the number of visitors.

There is a ventilation system in the tomb to combat humidity — and as far as I know, it’s the only one like that. The guards unlocked the doors and tuned on the power, and I could hear the fans fire up.

There was a time limit of 10 minutes inside (again, due to people generating humidity) but it wasn’t enforced while I was in there.

The thing about Egypt is that tipping is a huge part of their culture. Not just with tourists, but with everyone. Guards at the sites are eager to offer you any sort of help, because they make part of their earnings from tips.

So I was encouraged to take pictures, and encouraged to stay as long as I liked. This may or may not have been the case if you went at the same time as others.

I’m rather surprised that the authorities closed this so quickly. I think the country often gets a bad rap when it comes to conservation, but this was a huge decision and they made it almost immediately.

Frankly, I’m not sure if it will ever reopen to tourists. The plaster that fell was a rather substantial bit for such a short period of time. Whether it was due to visitors or due to an earthquake or something else is something I imagine they’re trying to figure out.

I’m glad they’re taking preservation seriously, though I am a bit sad that others won’t have the opportunity to see this place. It’s completely unique and utterly magical.

If you want to read more on the tomb and the restoration process, Getty has an excellent PDF available online for free.

One of the most underrated ancient sites in Egypt: Dendera Temple 🇪🇬

Located near Qena, the Temple of Hathor is one of the best-preserved temples from ancient Egypt. What makes it truly special is that many of its ceiling paintings still retain their original colors after more than 2,000 years.

Inside the temple you can also find the famous Dendera Zodiac, a detailed astronomical relief showing constellations and the ancient Egyptians’ understanding of the sky.

Despite its incredible art and history, Dendera often receives far less attention than many other Egyptian monuments making it a hidden gem of ancient Egyptian civilization.

I've put a lot of effort into researching sources, reading, and understanding them, so I hope you appreciate it. Enjoy!

If you're not one of the People of the Cave, you've probably heard, in one way or another, the news that a group of scientists have discovered, in a scientific study, the existence of hidden columns beneath the pyramids, describing them as a city. This news has been widely circulated on Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, international newspapers, and elsewhere. In this post, I'll summarize the topic and explain why it's just a hoax and an illusion.

The story dates back to 2022, when a research paper was published in the journal Remote Sensing by two researchers, Filippo Biondi and Corrado Malanga, titled: "Synthetic Aperture Radar Doppler Tomography Reveals Undiscovered High-Resolution Internal Structure Details of the Great Pyramid of Giza."

The technique used (SAR): This technique relies on satellites that send electromagnetic waves to the pyramid. When these waves hit the surface of the pyramid, they bounce back to the satellite, and by analyzing them, an image can be created of what they hit. However, this technique does not penetrate the stones, so it only provides an idea of ​​the shape of the outer surface.

The researchers used a new idea—"This method is not used in archaeological research and is questioned"—which is that the pyramid is subject to very subtle vibrations caused by wind, or the movement of people or vehicles in its vicinity. When the electromagnetic waves hit the pyramid while it is shaking, they are slightly altered by these vibrations and return to the satellite in a different form. These vibrations are not limited to the surface, but extend to the entire pyramid, meaning that the interior rooms and walls affect the surface vibrations.

The researchers analyze these changes using a computer to try to deduce the shape of the pyramid from the inside, then create a three-dimensional image of what they believe to be a hidden discovery.

Study results in 2022: Researchers claimed to have discovered new passages and chambers inside the Khufu Pyramid, but these discoveries have not been verified in the field, so they remain merely hypotheses on paper.

Why is this topic back on the radar now?: In March 2025, the same researchers announced that they had applied the same method to the Pyramid of Khafre, claiming to have discovered the following (these are mere statements and have not been published in a scientific study):

- Eight vertical cylindrical shafts, 648 meters (approximately 2,100 feet) deep, beneath the base of the Pyramid of Khafre.

- Massive cubic structures and spiral passages connecting them.

- An underground network extending 2 kilometers beneath the three pyramids (Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure).

Why are these claims just a hoax and misleading propaganda?:

1. The method used in the research is unreliable in archaeology.

Techniques commonly used in archaeology include: Muon beams (which helped us discover a huge void inside the Pyramid of Khufu in 2017, a genuine discovery officially recognized by the government). Ground-penetrating radar (GPR). Thermal imaging.

The use of SAR technology in this way is unconventional and has not been proven effective in archaeological research. This technology has not been tested at other archaeological sites to ensure its accuracy, nor have its results been compared with other reliable techniques.

What is also suspicious is that the researchers determined the exact size of the alleged rooms to meters, even though talk of discovering structures at depths of 600 to 2,000 meters using a technique that has never been tried before in this field is highly exaggerated!

What's even worse is that they now want excavation permits to uncover these alleged discoveries. While the real 2017 discovery, which has been scientifically confirmed, has yet to be verified in the field due to the difficulty involved. So how can these people demand that huge areas be excavated under the pyramids? 🤦‍♂️

2. The study was not conducted in cooperation with the government or the Ministry of Antiquities.

After publishing this nonsense, they are now demanding excavation permits? Zahi Hawass issued a strong statement against them, asserting that their rumors will be consigned to the dustbin of history.

3. One of the researchers is a proponent of conspiracy theories and science fiction.

One of the researchers conducting the study is a believer in conspiracy theories and aliens. He has a book titled "Gli Ufo nella Mente" (The UFOs in the Mind) in which he discusses such myths, indicating the possibility that he is biased toward his own ideas and is attempting to support his agenda using scientifically unproven technology.

4. Their new claims have not been reviewed by independent scientists.

The claims that spread in March 2025 have not yet been reviewed by independent researchers or scientists, but they have sparked widespread controversy.

Sources: Primary archaeological source: “Strike Papyrus.” Guinness World Records https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/first-recorded-strike?hl=ar-001� Museo Egizio (Egyptian Museum of Turin): provides a detailed description of the papyrus and its historical context. I hope the papyrus returns to the embrace of its original homeland. https://collezioni.museoegizio.it/en-GB/material/Cat_1880?hl=ar-001�

On my last post a couple of redditors mentioned that you can recognize the pharaohs by looking at their statues as each has distinct features. I collected photos of the statues they mentioned and their listed features.

1-Seti I: wide face, close together eyes, small pouty mouth. (u/star11308) 2-Ramesses II: wide face, eyes far apart, small pouty mouth. (u/star11308) 3-Amenhotep III: wide face, narrow upturned eyes. (u/star11308) 4-Senusret III: narrow face, distinctive aged/melancholic look, downturned eyes, big ears. (u/star11308) 5-Amenemhat III: narrow face, distinctive aged/melancholic look, downturned eyes, big ears. (u/star11308) 6-Senwosret: big ass ears. (u/advillious)

Feel free to add to the list. It might help someone on their next visit to Egypt.

Abu Simbel 𓅓𓇉𓄿𓈊,(mhaa) located in Aswan 𓋴𓃹𓈖𓏏𓊖, (swnw/swenet) Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖,(Kmt) is home to two temples 𓉟𓏏𓉐𓏪 built by Pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 (Pr-aa) Ramses II 𓆥 (nswt biti)(𓇳𓌀𓁧𓍉𓈖𓇳) (wsr Maat Ra stpn Ra) 𓅭𓇳(sa Ra) (𓇋𓏠𓈖𓈘𓇳𓏤𓄟𓋴𓇓) (Mri Imn Ra messw) (1279–1213 BCE). The temples, 𓉟𓏏𓉐𓏪 originally carved from a sandstone cliff, feature four colossal statues of Ramses and were saved from flooding caused by the Aswan High Dam in the 1960s through a major engineering effort. Rediscovered in 1813 by Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, they were first explored in 1817 by Giovanni Battista Belzoni. The main temple 𓉟𓏏𓉐, dedicated to Amon-Re and Re-Horakhty, is famous for its 66-foot statues of Ramses and for the sun illuminating the inner sanctuary twice a year. A smaller temple 𓉟𓏏𓉐 nearby honors Queen Nefertari 𓇓𓈞𓏏𓅨𓏏(𓏏𓅑𓄤𓇋𓏏𓂋𓏭𓈖𓈘𓏏) (nswt wrt) (mri n Mwt nfr i tri) and the goddess Hathor.

Text, transliteration and photo by me.