Egyptian authorities opened the tomb of Pharaoh Amenhotep III to visitors on Saturday after completing extensive restoration work on the 3,000-year-old burial site in the Valley of the Kings and Queens. Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathy presented the refurbished tomb to journalists at the southern Egyptian location near Luxor. The restoration received funding from the Japanese government and UNESCO to repair damage from centuries of looting and natural decay.
The hillside tomb features elaborate wall paintings from the Eighteenth Dynasty. Amenhotep III ruled Egypt for approximately 40 years before his death in 1349 BC at age 50. French and British expeditions removed most artifacts to museums in Paris, New York, and Britain between 1799 and 1915. His mummy remains at Cairo's National Museum of Egyptian Civilizations, while statues stand at other Egyptian museums and his mortuary temple site.
The hillside tomb features elaborate wall paintings from the Eighteenth Dynasty. Amenhotep III ruled Egypt for approximately 40 years before his death in 1349 BC at age 50. French and British expeditions removed most artifacts to museums in Paris, New York, and Britain between 1799 and 1915. His mummy remains at Cairo's National Museum of Egyptian Civilizations, while statues stand at other Egyptian museums and his mortuary temple site.
