The queen's burial place was unearthed in Abu-Sir, an Old Kingdom necropolis southwest of the Egyptian capital of Cairo. Several pyramids there are also dedicated to pharaohs of the Fifth Dynasty (2994-2345 BC), including Neferefre.

In a statement released by the Czech Institute of Egyptology on Sunday, head of the archaeological mission Dr Miroslav Barta, said the tomb was found in Neferefre's funeral complex.

"This makes us believe that the queen was his wife," Barta said.

"It's a very important discovery because it provides new information on the history of Egypt time of the Fifth Dynasty," leader of the Abu-Sir excavation site, Jaromir Krejci, added.

Inscriptions

In a separate statement, Egyptian Antiquities Minister Mamdouh al-Damaty said that for the "first time we have discovered the name of this queen who had been unknown before the discovery of her tomb."

Archaeologists were able to identify the queen as Khentkaus as her name and rank had been inscribed on the inner walls of the tomb.

Two queens with the same name have already been identified, making the recently discovered grave that of Khentkaus III.

Within the tomb, the Czech archaeological team also found around 30 utensils, 24 made of limestone and four of copper.

ksb/rg (AFP)