Egypt reopens 3,400-year-old tomb of Amenhotep III after 20 years

Visitors can now descend 46 feet underground into the newly reopened tomb of Amenhotep III, one of ancient Egypt's most powerful rulers. Closed to the public for the past two decades, the 3,400-year-old site has officially been reopened just ahead of the historic debut of the Grand Egyptian Museum.A king who ruled EgyptAmenhotep III, often called Amenhotep the Magnificent, ascended the throne as a teenager and ruled for nearly 38 years, from around 1390 to 1350 BCE, during the height of the 18th dynasty. Early in his reign, he married Tiy, a commoner and a shrewd and able woman who became the chief queen and the mother of the reforming king Akhenaten.His reign left behind temples, palaces and statues that intrigue historians to this day. Among these monuments are the Colossi of Memnon near Luxor, a pair of large stone figures that once guarded his mortuary temple.