Cairo, December 30 (ANI): As far as discoveries related to Egyptian history are concerned, 2007 has been a very good year for archaeologists so far, says a report.

Excavators carrying out routine excavation or cleaning at various sites in Egypt made a new discovery almost every day.

However, what particularly generated huge interest among archaeologist fraternity was the the identification of the mummy of the female Pharaoh, Queen Hatshepsut, and the uncovering of the real face of the boy-king Tutankhamun, reports Al-Ahram.

The restoration of the Step Pyramid of Djoser, the reopening of the Kuttub Khana, the discovery of a New Kingdom fortress in Sinai, an intact tomb brimming with fine funerary pieces in the Delta and Palaeolithic rock art depicting animals in Upper Egypt, were the other important events that took place during the year.
Hatshepsut’s empty sarcophagus, now in the Egyptian Museum, was found alongside that of her father, Tuthmosis I.

It was a single loose tooth that led scientists to the body of Egypt’s famous female ruler three and a half thousand years after her demise.

The other big event was the uncovering of the real face of the boy-king Tutankhamun, which went on public display for the first time in November for the 85th anniversary of the discovery of his tomb.

The mummy is presently kept in a high-tech, climate-controlled plexi-glass showcase in the outer chamber of his tomb in the Valley of the Kings. It is clothed in linen, with only the face and feet exposed.

It was in 2007 only that the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) made a scheme for the restoration of the Djoser Pyramid complex, the first complete plant to rescue the Step Pyramid and the southern tomb.

The first phase was to clean the pyramid inside and outside, and remove accumulated dust and sand with a view to reducing the load on the pyramid’s structure. Fallen blocks scattered on the ground and around the pyramid were to be collected, restored and returned to their original location, and blocks damaged beyond repair replaced with replicas.

The second phase includes the consolidation of all tunnels, corridors and ceilings of the pyramid’s underground galleries and the main burial shaft located on top of the bed rock.

The year also saw restoration of the exquisite 19th-century edifice of Kuttub Khana at Bab Al-Khalq to its pristine grandeur after several years of renovation. The project not only restored the authentic building of Bab Al-Khalq but also upgraded the 1971 library building. (ANI)