More than two decades after its discovery, the Ministry of Antiquities will display for the first time, in the next few days at the Luxor Museum, the sarcophagus of Queen Tausert, the last queen of the 19th Dynasty, after it was moved from where it was discovered in the tomb of King “Bay” on the West Bank of Luxor, which is closed to visitors.
Dr. Mostafa Waziri, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, stated that the transfer took place yesterday evening, after the approval of the Permanent Committee for Egyptian Antiquities and amid security measures by the Tourism and Antiquities Police, under the supervision of a team of archaeologists from the Qurna area, who prepared a condition report on the sarcophagus to document its state of preservation before the transfer. Another team of restorers carried out initial restoration work before packing and transport.
For his part, Fathy Yassin, Director General of Qurna Antiquities, explained that the sarcophagus is made of pink granite and decorated with a group of drawings depicting the four protective goddesses and the four sons of Horus, in addition to inscriptions of invocations and prayers for the deceased. The son of King Ramesses III, Prince “Montuherkhepeshef,” reused the sarcophagus, which was found by the German archaeologist “Hartwig Altenmüller” inside the tomb of King Bay, located near the tomb of Queen Tausert. He noted that the sarcophagus is 280 cm long, 120 cm wide and 150 cm high, and weighs up to 6 tons.
