Everyone knows the tomb of Seti I.
The tomb of Seti I may be is one of the most beautiful tombs in the Valley of the Kings. It is the largest tomb.
Actually, this tomb was found by Belzoni in 1817. And Belzoni excavated the tomb and he found tunnel in this tomb. He excavated the part of this tunnel and everyone thought in that time that the tunnel goes for 100 meters, 300 feet. And after that the family lived in Luxor known as [Abdurasul] family, one of them, named Sheikh Ali, he took a permission in 1960 from the Egyptian government and he had reached excavating for 100 meters. But the interesting thing, because this family has no experience in excavation. Later our work now showed that these workmen instead of their excavating ahead, they did turn, and excavate wrongly, in another direction.
One day he took me to the tomb of Seti I, 38 years ago. He said: “Young man, this is a tunnel, goes down for 100 meters. We believe that at the end of this tunnel exists the secret tomb of Seti I.”
Then, when I became the head of Antiquities, I decided to enter this tunnel seven years ago. I asked many archaeologists, they said:
“No. If any excavation will happen in this tunnel, the tunnel will fall apart. And if the tunnel fall apart, the tomb will be completely destroyed”.
We did hire the soil mechanic engineer, doctor Eimann. I said to Dr. Eimann: “Before we as archaeologists has to do anything, you have to tell us exactly, how to can we protect the tomb and how can we restore the tunnel.”
And now they started putting iron steels in the top of the tunnel. On the ground they built stairs made of wood. And the most interesting thing is that the workmen can't go down deep to bring the dirt or the sand or the stone rubble. They built a railway for small cars to take the stone rubble from down up outside the tomb.
What we did until now, we entered inside the tunnel for 90 meters completely restored with wood in the ground, iron from the ceiling. Beautiful restoration!
In the middle of this tunnel during our restoration we found objects like shawabtis made of faience and wood dated to Dynasty XIX, the reign of Seti I. We discovered inside pottery dated to Dynasty XIX, the reign of Seti I. And we found also the limestone cartouches of Seti I. And also we found a model of a boat made of faience.
What is the function of this tunnel? What is hidden at the end at the end of this tunnel? If you go to scenes of the tomb of Seti, you'll see the tunnel similar to this. At the end of this tunnel, which is drawn on the wall of the tomb, you see snakes. They call this tunnel the roots of the caves of Osiris. Do you think that this tunnel could be symbolic? Symbolic until now, for 135 meters?!
The answer will be coming soon. We are hoping now, after this hard work that may be a secret burial of the tomb of Seti could exist. But we are working very hard. But the most important thing is not what we are going to discover, but this impressive unique excavation and restoration of the tunnel of Seti that is an amazing adventure in archeology.
videos
Comments
Post new comment