The Ministry of Antiquities announced starting excavation work in the Valley of the Monkeys on the West bank of the Nile in Luxor, looking to uncover a tomb dating back to the 18th Dynasty, at the hands of an Egyptian archaeological mission headed by Zahi Hawas. Through a statement the ministry published on its official Facebook page, it stated that the excavation work started upon the approval of the Supreme Council of Antiquities. Mostafa Waziri, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, announced that that the mission started excavation work in the area in front of the tomb of King Ay, successor of King Tutankhamun, explaining, "in 2010, the same mission found four foundation deposits indicating the existence of a tomb in the area." Waziri believes that the tomb belongs to one of Tutankhamun's family members. The ancient Egyptians used to dig foundation deposits after the completion of any tomb, although they dug them before the construction of any temple, he added. The mission also announced finding a collection of knives and pottery vessels from the reign of King Amenhotep III, father of King Akhenaten and grandfather of King Tutankhamun in 2010. It is also known that King Ay succeeded Tutankhamun and married his wife Queen Ankhesenamun. The Valley of the Monkeys is a section of the Valley of the Kings and is known as the Western Valley, but the area inhabitants called it the "Valley of the Monkeys" because of the paintings on one of the walls of the tomb of King Ay depicting 12 monkeys
