A Wall painting in an ancient Egyptian tomb, showing an intimate embrace between two male manicurists, could be the first recorded depiction of an openly homosexual couple.

The theory has emerged from an international conference at the University of Wales, Swansea, which debated the significance of the unusual tomb, dating from 4,000 years ago, which contains paintings of the men in a clutch.

The suggestion that the two men, called Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep, won social acceptance for their relationship four millenniums before last month’s legal sanctioning of gay unions raises the prospect that the tomb will become a gay honeymoon destination. The site already attracts many gay tourists.

Archeologists have been baffled by the two men’s relationship since the tomb was uncovered in 1964 in the necropolis of Saqqara at Memphis, on the west bank of the Nile. It is extremely rare to find two men of equal status buried together...

Mwah ... is this the first recorded gay kiss?, The Times, UK, January 01, 2006.

Malaysian authorities suffered a setback Wednesday in their plan to send a 35-member team to drape Egypt's Great Pyramid at Giza with the flags of the world's 57 Muslim countries.

The chairman of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, the body responsible for the Giza site, said in Cairo that he would not allow it to be draped.

"This cannot take place," chairman Zahi Hawass said. "The pyramid cannot be draped by any person in this world. Nobody is allowed to do this..."

Malaysian plan to cover Great Pyramid with Muslim nation flags hits snag, Mainichi via MSN, Japan, December 28, 2005.

... Meanwhile, in the fresh air above, Egyptologists and other would-be experts are waving the tourist crowds away from Tutankhamun's tomb, describing it as an extra-cost disappointment. And sure enough, if this were Palm Beach, it would be like paying a $20 premium to scope out Mar-a-Lago's carriage house.

Many of us make the trip anyway for bragging rights — and it's the only tomb with a body in it. Sam Guy, an experienced traveler among our group, says that back home near Atlanta, neighbors will be more interested in his tale of Tut's tomb than the huge and more renowned Seti I caverns we just climbed through. We make a final visual scan, and huff our way back up to the surface, where humidity is only 15 percent and the sweat dries off our bodies and clothes in minutes.

It's midmorning and the daily tour bus crowds, including ourselves, are reaching peak population. Guides like our Attia — he chafes at the label, being an accredited Egyptologist — deliver full-blown historical treatises to their impatient groups before pointing them toward the most interesting crypts. The group leaders are no longer allowed to lecture in the tombs — it created traffic jams down below...

Tales of the crypts, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Florida, USA, January 01, 2006.

NOVA Presents THE MUMMY WHO WOULD BE KING Tuesday, January 3, 2006, at 8PM ET ON PBS.

It is a tantalizing idea and an outrageous long-shot: a shriveled mummy with crossed arms that has lain neglected on a dusty museum shelf at Niagara Falls could be the remnants of a long-lost Egyptian king. While a trail of clues hints at how the looted mummy made its way to North America, archaeologists, scientists, and even an orthodontist look to the latest genetic testing and imaging techniques in hopes of ascertaining the body’s hidden identity. NOVA reveals an astounding story filled with historical intrigue and the wonders of forensic science, on The Mummy Who Would Be King, airing Tuesday, January 3, 2006 at 8PM ET on PBS (check local listings).

Suspicions about the mummy’s noble past first arose decades ago. Speaking with avid collectors and top scholars involved in the investigation, NOVA discovers just how complicated it can be to unravel ancient truths. By the late 20th century, the Niagara Falls mummy had journeyed across an ocean. It had been stolen, sold, bought, and neglected. It had languished in obscurity and had been ‘discovered’ in the 1960s only to be declared a fraud. Yet, Egyptologist Gayle Gibson tells NOVA that as soon as she laid eyes on the body, she was convinced it was someone special. This documentary is about how one mummy finally convinced the world...

THE MUMMY WHO WOULD BE KING, NOVA, PBS, via Stephanie Houghton.

Ramses stayed put, while a fragment of the Great Pyramid fell off. Nevine El-Aref explores a few of this year's significant cultural and archaeological events.

Suddenly, as the second half of 2005 began, what had been a relatively sluggish year in the cultural sphere picked up with a vengeance. The culture minister found himself at the centre of at least two major controversies in July and September. First, he received the Israeli ambassador to Egypt, inspiring much criticism, as well as rumours of an impending cultural normalisation that didn't actually occur. Then he tendered his resignation — subsequently revoked — in response to the tragic death of 55 people in a fire that erupted during a theatrical performance at the Beni Sweif Cultural Palace, a ministry-owned and operated venue (see 'Staging dissent'). As usual, the year was also filled with battles on the antiquities front, as Egypt continued to pay greater attention to its treasure trove of monuments, and seek out new ways to keep them from harm.

Relocation delayed: After much fanfare and publicity, the decision to move the huge statue of Ramses II from in front of the Bab Al-Hadid central Cairo train station in downtown Ramses Square, to the site of the Grand Museum of Egypt being built on the Giza Plateau, was delayed until the start of 2007. Antiquities officials say they opted to wait in order to spare the statue the harm that would befall it on a busy construction site. The international bid for the museum project will be made in October; and since the first phase — to be complete by the end of 2006 — includes enough space for Ramses II, it will be safe to undertake the move shortly afterwards...

Pharaohs on the move, Al-Ahram, Egypt, Issue No. 775, 29 December 2005 - 4 January 2006.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year!