King Tutankhamun most likely died of Malaria

The results of a new DNA study on King Tut (Tutankhamun) reveal that he was a frail pharaoh, beset by malaria and a bone disorder—and possibly compromised by his newly discovered incestuous origins.

The findings of this study that seem the most interesting to me are.
1. The murder and posioning rumors will now have to be put to rest as Malaria seems to be the most likely cause of his death.
2. This is now the oldest known genetic proof of malaria.
3. They found more than one strain of malaria parasite, indicating that King Tut caught multiple malarial infections during his life.
4. Tutankhamun is the son of Akhenaten and his Sister Queen (a minor queen perhaps, but not his chief wife Queen Nefertiti whose beauty and bust have been subject to much debate)

   

5. The identity of Tutankhamun's mother has not been confirmed yet, but DNA tests prove that his parents were both the children of King Amenhotep III and Queen Tiye
6. The mummy KV55 has been positively identified as that of Akehnaten (the 'so-called' Heretic King who wanted the populace to worship only one God)
7. The speculation that Akhenaten suffered from gynecomastia - a genetic disorder that causes men to have female features like wide hips, potbelly, and breasts - has been put to rest.

The feminized features found in Akenhaten's depictions (the few that have survived) seem to have been done for religious and political reasons.

If you would like to read a more detailed report, it is available on National Geographic

Vanished Persian army found in Egyptian desert?

When we were in Siwa, we heard the tales of the Persian army that was headed to Siwa over two and a half thousand years ago, in search of the temple of Amun, that was cursed and were killed by a sandstorm in the middle of the desert. No one knew if they lost their way or what had actually happenned to them.

Now Italian Researchers claim to have found the remains of the army.

Read the whole story here on msnbc

Mummy of female pharaoh uncovered

From BBC

The discovery of such an old mummy is extremely rare, Egyptologists say Egyptologists have discovered the remains of a mummy thought to belong to a queen who ruled 4,300 years ago, Egypt's antiquities chief has said. The body of Queen Seshestet was found in a recently-discovered pyramid in Saqqara, Zahi Hawass announced. She was mother of King Teti, founder of the Sixth Dynasty of pharaonic Egypt. Her name was not found but "all the signs indicate that she is Seshestet". Such old royal mummies are rare. Most date from dynasties after 1800 BC. Historians believe Queen Seshestet ruled Egypt for 11 years - making her one of a small number of women pharaohs. It took five hours to lift the lid of a sarcophagus, according to a statement by Mr Hawass. It contained a skull, legs, pelvis, other body parts wrapped in linen, pottery and gold finger wrappings. The burial chamber was raided in antiquity by grave robbers who stole everything, including most valuables from inside the sarcophagus.

Shajar al-Durr - the only Sultana of Egypt

Also posted on desicritics.org

The only female Sultana to have ruled Egypt for 80 days.

She was of Turkish origin and was originally a slave in the harem of the Caliph of Baghdad. She was later gifted to the Ayyubid Sultan of Egypt & Syria who fell in love with her and married her.

On the sultans death, his son took over. The son alienated the Mamluk slaves, who soon assassinated him and the step mother Shajar al Durr was proclaimed as Sultana.

Several months later— due to political pressure for a male sultan— Shajar al-Durr married an important Mamluk officer, Aybak. Together, they initiated the first Mamluk Dynasty of Egypt and Syria. They shared power in a combination of cooperation and suspicion for seven years. She thus was a sultana of Ayyubid Egypt and also the co-founder of the Mamluk dynasty

She later murdered Aybak - her second husband when she discovered that he had been plotting against her. She was subsequently beaten to death with shoes by the rest of Aybak's concubines.

To date, to the best of my knowledge, she has been the only female ruler of Egypt other than Cleopatra & Hatchepsut.

Her tomb can be visited even today in Cairo. My friend Camel, who is extremely knowledgeable on these matters (location & history of various monuments in Cairo) gave me these directions:

Dear Kim,

I visited the Tomb of Shajar al-Durr before, and it sure is around Ibn Tulun Mosque, a walking distance from it.

It is not the most pleasant of neighbourhoods, but the locals know the place, and they call it “Obbet el-Sitt Shagaret el-Durr”.

Just before Ibn Tulun, there is a street called al-Khalifa. Ask anyone to point the direction. If they don’t know, ask them for the Mosque of al-Sayyeda Sakina (it’s in al-Khalifa Street).

Walk that street till you reach al-Sayyeda Sakina Mosque, then go on straight ahead in the same street, and you will find the Tomb of Shajar al-Durr to your left.

If you go on in this street, you will reach Midan al-Sayyeda Nafisa, and you can visit her mosque too.

Enjoy!
Camel – Keeper of the Temple