In a step received the French people's appreciation, President Hosni Mubarak sent a congratulation cable to the 92 years old French archaeologist Christiane Desroches Noblecourt, the specialist in the Pharaonic civilization on the occasion of her obtaining the highest French decoration for her distinguished contributions in Egyptology.

In this message President Mubarak expressed full congratulations for the French archaeologist on behalf of the Egyptian people, confirming his own evaluation for her achievements...

[More], Egypt State Information Service, Egypt, February 20, 2005.

When Egyptian Queens Got Elaborate Tombs of Their Own

A sudden, dramatic change in Egyptian queens' burials occurred at the beginning of the 19th Dynasty (1292-1190 B.C.).   On the west bank of the Nile at Thebes, a Y-shaped valley that had served as a cemetery for male officials was adapted as a burial place for royal women.   The necropolis was then re-named the Place of the Beautiful Ones (Ta Set Neferu), echoing the site's modern name: the Valley of the Queens...

[Excerpt]   Heather Lee McCarthy, Archaeology Odyssey, March / April 2005.

An Australian archeological team working in Egypt has unearthed three ancient wooden coffins in the past two months.

Culture Minister Farouk Hosni told reporters Saturday that the coffins, which he described as "wonderfully beautiful," were uncovered in [Saqqara], 10 kilometers south of Cairo.

He said the coffins, shaped like human bodies, go back to the 26th Pharaoh Dynasty that ruled from 672 BC to 525 BC.

The minister added the coffins contained mummies wrapped up in cloth and decorated with colorful beads.

Hosni said that other ancient artifacts were found near the coffins, including statues of Pharaoh gods.

[Source]   World Peace Herald, District of Columbia, USA, February 26, 2005, via Archaeologica.