The burial place of doomed lovers Cleopatra and Mark Antony has remained an enduring mystery, but new evidence suggests it could soon be laid to rest. Archaeologists are to begin searching three new sites identified in a radar survey of a temple close to Alexandria for the tombs of the celebrated queen of Egypt and the Roman general. Egypt's top archaeologist Zahi Hawass said the finds have raised hopes that the legendary couple will be found together in a system of tunnels beneath the temple of Tabusiris Magna. The discovery would be even bigger than the uncovering of King Tutankhamun's tomb, which was found in 1922, according to Dr Hawass. Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra and Richard Burton as her lover Mark Antony in the 1963 film of the Egyptian queen. It was during filming that the co-stars also became lovers Egypt's top archaeologist Zahi Hawass, pictured, believes the find could be bigger than the uncovering of King Tutankhamun's tomb The excavation i...

http://www.egyptraveluxe.com/ Museums are the closest we will ever get to time travel. Only within the hallowed walls of a museum can we trace the history of a civilisation and have an idea of how it worked. Every town and city throughout the world seems to document its past in some way or other, but several museums have become so famous that they are destinations in themselves attracting millions of visitors who flock from across the world to view their exhibits. After much discussion, egypTraveluxe has selected our ultimate list of world-class museums that everyone should visit in their lifetime... British Museum, London Ancient translator: The Rosetta Stone is one of the museum's most prized possessions Whether you agree or not with the museum keeping items collected by British explorers through the ages, the array of pieces on display at the British Museum certainly gives an all-encompassing history lesson. There is no other collection like it.  Ancient cultures fro...

http://www.egyptraveluxe.com/egypt_budget_tour.php Now, Zahi Hawass, the 'Indiana Jones' of Egyptian archaeology, has his sights set on the most glittering prize of all - the Rosetta Stone. Dr Hawass has demanded that Britain return the 2,200-year-old stone tablet to its homeland. Archaeological treasure: Zahi Hawass has demanded that Britain return the 2,200-year-old Rosetta Stone to its homeland of Egypt Arriving in Britain to publicise his quest, he declared that a loan would not be good enough.  Instead, the Rosetta Stone, which has resided in the British Museum since 1802, must be handed over on a permanent basis. The Museum, however, is standing its ground, declaring its collections should not be broken up and it is the legal owner of the stone. The stone, which dates back to 196BC, was discovered in Egypt by Napoleon's French forces in 1799 and seized from them by the British two years alter. Its value lies in its inscriptions, which in three different langu...

http://www.egyptraveluxe.com/luxor_day_tour_to_dendera_and_abydos_from_luxor_by_private_vehicle.php   Many of the animals were offered to the gods when they were just hours old A labyrinth of sacred tunnels packed with the mummified remains of millions of dogs has been excavated under the Egyptian desert. The catacombs are estimated to contain the remains up to eight million dogs, many of which would have been offered to the gods when they were just hours old. Others would have been treated as living representatives of the dog or jackal-headed god Anubis and would have lived out their lives in the nearby temple before being preserved and laid to rest in the network of tunnels. Remains: One of eight million dogs archaeologists believe are buried in a labyrinth of sacred tunnels under the Egyptian desert Egyptologist Hendrikje Nouwens examines a dog buried in a special wall niche - the remains of the wooden coffin can be seen. Many of the dogs would have been offered...

http://www.egyptraveluxe.com/cairo_excursions.php   44 out of 52 mummies examined had clogged arteries An Egyptian princess who lived more than 3,500 years ago is the oldest known person to have had clogged arteries, dispelling the myth that heart disease is a product of modern society, a new study says. To determine how common heart disease was in ancient Egypt, scientists performed computer scans on 52 mummies in Cairo and the United States. Among those that still had heart tissue, 44 had chunks of calcium stuck to their arteries - indicating clogging. Gruesome: The mummy of Maiherpri, from 1550-1295 BC, is prepared for examination at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo - one of 52 mummies to be examined 'Atherosclerosis clearly existed more than 3,000 years ago,' said Adel Allam, a cardiology professor at Al Azhar University in Cairo, who led the study with Gregory Thomas, director of nuclear cardiology education at the University of California in Irvine. 'We canno...

http://www.egyptraveluxe.com/cairo_day_tour_to_pyramids_of_giza_and_egyptian_museum.php   More than 1,000 tombs and 3,000 ancient settlements found Findings are a major boost to relatively new science of space archaeology Indiana Jones found success with little more than a bullwhip and a fedora. These days however, if you want to make your mark as an archaeologist, a bit of space technology works wonders. Satellites have helped locate 17 pyramids and 3,000 ancient settlements hidden underground in Egypt. More than 1,000 burial sites were also discovered thanks to infra-red technology capable of probing beneath the desert sands from 450 miles above the Earth. Pyramid of Djoser: Many more are thought to be buried underground. The cameras on the satellites are so powerful that they can precisely image objects on Earth that are less than one metre in diameter Astounded researchers on the ground have already confirmed that two of the pyramids exist - and they believe th...

http://www.egyptraveluxe.com/cairo_excursions.php  Environmentalists may have something to say about it, but an expert looking into the health of ancient Egyptians has found that they may have suffered the same levels of damaging air pollution than we do now. Obviously, the ancient air pollution was not generated by the same causes, but the effects on the body were just as pronounced, and in a lot of cases just as deadly. Roger Montgomerie, a doctoral student at the KNH Centre for Biomedical Egyptology at the University of Manchester, England, has uncovered evidence of 'particulates' in the lungs of 15 separate mummies. Particulates are tiny microscopic particles that have been linked to a variety of modern-day illnesses, including heart disease and cancer. Key to the past: The mummified remains of a worker discovered in Dakhleh Oasis, a remote outpost in southwest Egypt, shows that there are close to modern-day levels of 'particulates' in the lungs It has...

Tutankhamun's tomb famously contained a spectacular collection of richly decorated pieces for his journey into the afterlife. But while the Egyptians had time to amass an impressive array of artefacts to accompany the pharaoh, it appears they had to rush the burial. A new scientific study of marks on the tomb's walls suggests that the Boy King, who died in his late teens in around 1300BC, may have been buried at haste. Harvard microbiologist Ralph Mitchell believes dark brown spots which cover almost every part of the elaborately painted walls hold the key. The interior of the Tomb of King Tutankhamun in Luxor, Egypt The funeral mask of Tutankhamun, whose tomb was found in 1922 He claims they show the young pharaoh was buried in a hurry and sealed inside the construction before the walls were even dry. Tutankhamun was an Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th dynasty. The cause of his sudden death in his youth has never been established. Various investigations have att...

http://www.egyptraveluxe.com/luxor_day_tour_to_valley_of_the_kings_queens_&_hatshepsut_temple.php Swiss company reconstructs King Tut's DNA profile from Discovery Channel documentary Results show he belonged to 'haplogroup' common to half of Western European men Claims disputed by fellow geneticists A Swiss genetics company has claimed that up to 70 per cent of British men are related to the Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun. Scientists at Zurich-based DNA genealogy centre, iGENEA, say they have reconstructed the DNA profile of the boy Pharaoh based on a film that was made for the Discovery Channel. The results showed that 'King Tut' belonged to a genetic profile group, known as haplogroup R1b1a2, to which more than 50 per cent of all men in Western Europe belong, indicating that they share a common ancestor. Any resemblance? Geneticists claim 70 per cent of British men are related to King Tutankhamun, pictured left as a reconstruction, and right, his sarco...

http://www.egyptraveluxe.com/cairo_day_tour_to_pyramids_of_giza_Sakkara_and_memphis.php Egypt's oldest pyramid has been saved from collapse by giant airbags which have been used to prop up the ceilings. The 4,700-year-old building has been stabilised so engineers can carry out permanent repairs. The giant structure was built as a burial place for Pharaoh Djoser, a warrior who reigned in the third dynasty for 19 years but has been damaged in an earthquake. Top support: The Pyramid of Djoser in Memphis, north-west Egypt, was likely to collapse before giant airbags were used to support the ceiling SAFE FROM COLLAPSE: ANCIENT EGYPTIAN PYRAMIDS The 4,700-year-old pyramid for Pharoah Djoser which is undergoing restoration work is a step pyramid. Originally it would have been covered by layers of limestone. As one of the earliest ones created by the Egyptians, it was made from compacted mud brick layers with smaller layers built on top of each other. The square Djoser Pyramid ...