Egypt's Valley of the Kings may still be keeping a secret. A new study published in September 2026 argues that geophysical anomalies beyond Tutankhamun's tomb (KV62) could be corridors and chambers belonging to a much larger royal complex — one that might, just might, hold the long-lost burial of Queen Nefertiti.
The research, released on 17 September in the Occasional Papers of the Amarna Royal Tombs Project, draws on seven survey campaigns since 2015, including fieldwork in 2023 and 2024. Researchers combined ground-penetrating radar, microgravity readings and older electrical-resistivity data with architectural analysis. Their conclusion: a corridor roughly two metres wide and a cluster of possible chambers stretching some 25 to 30 metres north of the known tomb, some apparently linked by rubble-filled passages.
The microgravity work is the most intriguing part. Structural engineer George Ballard analysed more than 1,200 readings across a small area and identified low-density features with right angles, aligned parallel to the tomb's north wall — the signature you'd expect from artificial chambers. One reading, dubbed "anomaly 7," even hints at a square zone of higher density that could be an artifact-filled room, though Ballard admits it pushes the technology to its limits.
The idea isn't new. British Egyptologist Nicholas Reeves proposed in 2015 that KV62 — famously small and oddly laid out for a pharaoh — was originally built for a royal woman of the 18th Dynasty, with Tutankhamun's burial squeezed into its outer section after his sudden death. He pointed to the tomb's architecture and altered wall paintings, including a scene he reinterprets as Tutankhamun performing the "Opening of the Mouth" ritual for his predecessor, whom the team links to Nefertiti. Her tomb has never been found.
Scepticism is warranted. A 2019 radar survey found no evidence of hidden chambers, and independent experts like radar specialist Christopher Gaffney of the University of Bradford and geophysicist Peter Styles of Keele University say the data is fascinating but far from conclusive. No excavation has taken place; the team is seeking permission from Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities to drill carefully controlled access points and send in miniature camera-equipped vehicles, potentially as early as November, according to Ballard.
For travellers, this is a rare chance to follow archaeology in real time. KV62 in Luxor remains one of the valley's most popular tombs, and any confirmed discovery would reshape visits for years to come. Even now, standing in that small burial chamber knowing scientists suspect more lies beyond the north wall adds a layer of drama you can't buy elsewhere.
