👉 go to video settings ⚙️ to choose subtitle language. In the east of Berlin,
the newly restored Neues Museum is about to reopen. The museum houses the finest collection
of Egyptian artefacts in Germany. However, the biggest draw is the arrival
of one of Egypt's most famous queens, the bust of Nefertiti. It's a masterpiece that had been on display
in the old museum in Berlin for 20 years. Now Nefertiti is moving homes
to become the star attraction in the Neues Museum. I think it's an absolute masterpiece
and certainly timeless. It really is perfection
and full of aesthetic value. One sees the perfect beauty. Where does it come from? The life made her a star. It's a little like the Mona Lisa. It is the icon of the Egyptian identity. Nefertiti is over 3,000 years old. Tremendous care is taken to ensure
no damage is done to the flawless face. That she is in such good shape
is one of the enigmas in the history
of archaeological discoveries. But the party is spoilt by some news
from Geneva that is widely reported in the media
that the bust of Nefertiti is a fake. The controversial claim comes
after a 20 year long inquiry conducted by author
and historian Henri Stierlin. I've no doubt in my mind
that this is a fake, a copy, a phony or a model. What first made the academics dubious
was the unique state of conservation of Nefertiti's bust
when it was discovered. The object was incongruous. It bore no resemblance
to any other 3,300 year old busts from Egypt. To historian Henri Stierlin, the bust of Nefertiti
is simply too well preserved, or, as he puts it, too new to be true. Then there is a second bust
found lying alongside that of Nefertiti. It's a bust of her husband,
the Pharaoh Akhenaten. It's completely disfigured. Why should there be a contrast
in the state of the busts which were found at the same time,
at the same place? Is Nefertiti a fake? In Montpellier in southern France,
archaeologist and egyptologist Marc Gabolde,
who is also an expert on Nefertiti, considers Stierlin's claims. I have to say he was right
to ask the question, but the arguments he's provided
aren't necessarily sufficient. If he can give me
some strong scientific arguments that it is a forgery,
then I would accept it. There's certainly some doubts. In the basement
of the Neues Museum in Berlin, a news conference is being held. The journalists are taking notes,
but there are no questions about the charges of authenticity. In Germany, such accusations
are considered taboo because the bust,
found a century ago in Egypt by German archaeologist Ludwig Borchardt,
has now become a symbol in Germany. Nevertheless, we did ask the question
to Neues Museum director, Friederike Seyfried. When you stand before the bust,
the question never even enters your mind. It goes without saying it's authentic. The real question is,
why would it be a fake? Numerous archaeologists,
Americans, Italians, French expressed their doubts
about whether the bust is real, but none of them
have made their doubts official. So we have decided
to stage our own inquiry. Everyone's being very circumspect. No one has dared come right out
and openly state the object to be a fake. Is the most famous bust
of ancient Egypt a phony? To find out,
we met with the greatest experts, subjected the bust to a lie detector
and retraced history. What we uncovered during our inquiry
will forever change your opinion about Egypt's most mysterious queen
and her likeness, the bust of Nefertiti. Who was Nefertiti? It's one of the great mysteries
of Egypt's pharaonic past. Eras of archaeologists
have scoured through all the monuments, gone through each hieroglyphic
on each column and temple wall in an attempt to find the least evidence
of her existence. Archaeologists went up the Nile
as far as Karnak, probing one of the country's
largest sacred centers for any traces of Queen Nefertiti. In this labyrinth of columns and temples, they finally found
the first image of the Queen. It was chiseled directly into a stone
from a now-lost temple. However, nothing is known
of Nefertiti's origins. She was probably Egyptian,
almost certainly, the wife of the 18th dynasty Pharaoh,
the great Akhenaten. Nefertiti was the principal wife
of Akhenaten. She was the only one who had the right
to the title, Great Spouse of the King. We know the Queen's sisters
and we know of her nurse, but we know nothing
about the origins of Nefertiti's family. To be honest, we don't know. She's the queen of Egypt,
of whom we have the most models and documents, but also the one of whom
we know the least. It's not known
who Nefertiti's parents were, but what's striking
is her remarkable beauty with a face
that at first appears so contemporary. It's thanks to her husband, Akhenaten,
the heretic and rebel that her name has survived. The Pharaoh has gone down in history
for having imposed Aton, the Sun God, as the only deity
and getting rid of the many Egyptian gods. During his reign in the 18th dynasty,
Akhenaten has new temples built, many of them open to the skies
to allow the sun's beneficial rays to shine through. In his new religion,
Akhenaten develops a cult of personality as he and the Sun God
gradually become the same being. Nefertiti and Akhenaten
were also the most romantic of all the Pharaonic couples. Their love for each other
began at a very young age. On the statuaries,
their age has given as 14. For the first time, the people witnessed
two adolescence masters of an empire holding hands. They are portrayed
as being very much in love, or the more astonishing are the images
of the king and queen embracing. They are depicted on the Royal Chariot
and Akhenaten is kissing Nefertiti. The Queen is shown placing a necklace
around the king's neck and he seizes the moment
to give her a peck on the cheek. It's a very intimate moment
and must reflect a true love story. In the seventh year of their reign,
Akhenaten and Nefertiti relocate from Karnak
and set up at Tell El Amarna in the middle of the desert. There they built a new royal city,
they call Akhetaten, which means the Sun's horizon. The famous couple in the history of Egypt
lived in a modern city that was built quickly
with space for 50,000 inhabitants. A city dotted with temples
that had no roofs. Akhenaten and Nefertiti
often spent their time worshipping the Sun God. The reign of Akhenaten and Nefertiti
will last only 17 years. After their deaths,
their successors will destroy all trace of their existence
and dismantle the palaces brick by brick. In less than 30 years,
the city will disappear back into the desert. You might say
it's the Pompeii of the sands. When you dig through the 18th Dynasty's
buildings the only time they were occupied
was during the era of Akhenaten. Just over 15 years. It gives one a real snapshot
of life in Egypt back then. It was in this five by ten kilometer
rectangle of desert that on the 6th of December 1912, the bust of Nefertiti
emerged whole from the middle of nowhere. Ludwig Borchardt
was born in Berlin in 1863. He became the most famous archaeologist
of his day. Egypt, its monuments and architecture
fascinated Borchardt. In 1906, the German archaeologist
organizes a dig in the remains of Akhenaten's City. A ghost town, according to some, but the site of a terrible act
of vandalism to the archaeologists. Borchardt is persuaded
he'll make the discovery of the century. On the 6th of December 1912, surrounded by his team,
he will uncover the find of a lifetime, celebrated bust of Nefertiti. The statuette carved from limestone was found just 50 centimeters
below some gravel. Borchardt has resurrected
a remarkably lifelike and technicolour queen. How did archaeologist Borchardt
make this masterpiece appear out of nowhere? Before the arrival of the German,
Akhenaten's ancient city had been the virtual preserve
of the British and their chief
archaeologist, Sir Flinders Petrie, who had led major excavations
on the site in 1891 and 1892. They had opened tombs,
unearthed the magnificent frescoes of senior officials,
and uncovered the foundations of palaces. However, they had never run into anything
like the magnificent bust of Nefertiti. When Borchardt's
archaeological expedition showed up, it made the British sneer. They are convinced
the German will find absolutely nothing. Flinders Petrie was already there. He stopped at the end of the 19th century
working in Tell el-Amarna. For him, he was through. He had the idea it is done
and there's nothing to find anymore. As we know, this was not true. Borchardt came to Amarna initially
because he saw it as a major source of information
on domestic architecture. At the back of his mind was the fact
that he had close connections with the Berlin Museum. He rather wanted something spectacular
to bring back to Berlin. At the start of the 20th century, Egypt was the world's largest
hunting ground for archaeologists. Prussia had lagged behind
in the race for treasures. Kaiser William ordered Borchardt
to return with a trophy, whatever the cost. Before excavations begin,
the clever archaeologist seeks the advice
of Cairo's leading antiquarians, many of whom do business with looters. He's told that part of Akhenaten's
ancient city has yet to be excavated. Borchardt is also an architect,
and before arriving he'd drawn up floor plans
for the southeast sector. Once inhabited by artisans,
but untouched by both the British and the looters. He's interested in housing, so he starts by digging
through the larger villas. These can be distinguished on the site
by the small mounds. Later, he extends the dig
to include all the houses. By an unusual stroke of luck,
he uncovers the offices and the house of the sculptor Thutmosis,
one of the highlights of his excavations. Borchardt soon realizes
he's come across a property that includes several sculptors' studios. Excited, the archaeologist decides to dig
through every square inch of the gardens. Behind the silos he identifies the house
of the senior craftsman Thutmosis, the personal sculptor of Akhenaten
and Nefertiti. It was here that Borchardt
is said to have found the bust. Intrigued, we retrace the steps,
one century later, of archaeologist Ludwig Borchardt and search out the house
where the bust was discovered. Tell El Amarna is a five hour drive
south of Cairo, Akhenaten and Nefertiti's ghost town. Joining us is Luke Vautrin,
an expert in ancient Egyptian works of art who was employed by the courts
to identify forged pieces. Egyptian archaeologist Amada
is the inspector general of the dig at Tell El Amarna. Here as you can see,
is Borchardt's report on the excavation. As you can see,
this is the official report made after the excavation by Borchardt. There's nothing. Luke Vautrin has an exceptional document, the notes and sketches
of archaeologist Ludwig Borchardt, in which he writes extensively
of his discovery of the bust in 1912. The document will prove invaluable
in tracing the exact spot where Nefertiti's bust was uncovered. Look, Patrick,
now we arrived at the house of Thutmosis. This is a very important house
which Ludwig Burkhardt, on 6th December 1912,
found the bust of Nefertiti, which is now in Berlin Museum. This is what remains 3,300 years later
of the studio of Thutmosis, the chief sculptor. It's in one of these rooms that Borchardt
reportedly found the bust. With a map, archaeologist Luke Vautrin
interprets the site. This is quite moving
since this is the villa's reception room. It's almost certain
that this is where the owner would have entertained
his special guests, senior officials, and why not Queen Nefertiti herself? If you leave the room in that direction, here we get to the sculptor's studio and behind the door, and Borchardt's notes
are very precise about this, it's right here in this corner
that he found the bust of the queen. According to Borchardt, Nefertiti
was here buried for more than 3,200 years, yet still so realistic. That's not all,
because the house of Akhenaten's sculptor, turns out to be filled with treasures. Borchardt finds other pieces,
the finest pack of busts from the period. Plaster masks, strangely lifelike,
and models of studios like Akhenaten's, a model that's incomplete,
and the famous bust of Akhenaten himself found lying next to Nefertiti's. Ludwig Borchardt
donates all his finest trophies to the museum in Berlin. In all this archaeological fairy tale,
there's one detail that grabs the attention of a historian. It's an element that will spark
an investigation worthy of a sleuth novel. In his colonial style house in Cairo,
Ludwig Borchardt will take more than ten years
before he publishes the complete report on his digs at Tell El Amarna. He tells how he found the limestone bust
of Nefertiti and another bust also in limestone
found alongside of the Pharaoh Akhenaten, its face ripped apart. In his topographical notes,
Borchardt takes great care to note the location
of the bust of Nefertiti. He also marked
where the marred bust of Akhenaten had been found. Per his drawings, the bust of Nefertiti
was on a shelf in a corner of the studio. The bust of Akhenaten was the first
to be found on the floor near the entrance to the left. The passage of time
caused the outer wall to crumble and the bust of Nefertiti with it. Akhenaten's bust
was found in several pieces, while strangely Nefertiti's was intact, almost as if it had just left
the sculptor's studio. The whole story was pure deception
made up by Borchardt. That was the conclusion
of Swiss historian, Henri Stierlin, who had investigated
the case for 20 years. He questions Borchardt's report
and concludes that Nefertiti was "simply too beautiful to be authentic." How is it possible
that such a heavy object, that such a delicate object,
so finely painted could have fallen
like Borchardt claims from a shelf about a meter and a half
from the floor onto stones and rubble without being damaged? Especially since he claims
it fell face down. Then he says
it's such a delicate object. It's hardly possible
that only the ears were damaged. Besides,
the ears wouldn't even have hit the floor when the object fell. When his inquiry began in 1984,
Henri Stierlin expressed his doubts to Dietrich Wildung,
one of the greatest German archaeologists and beyond all reproach at the time,
the director of the museum in Munich. Wildung had studied the bust for years
and shares Stierlin's doubts. He had written a letter to Stierlin. In the letter that he wrote he said,
"My project was valid and persuasive." Here, let me quote you word for word. He writes,
[German schlussig und uberzeugend] In other words, convincing and coherent. In the letter, Dietrich Wildung
also admits to his own suspicions about the state of conservation
of the Nefertiti bust and that its style was not consistent
with the Akhenaten period and that he was even willing
to write the introduction to his report. Then in 1989, he's named the curator
of the bust of Nefertiti and makes a dramatic U-turn. Then Wildung,
suddenly sends me another letter in which he says
he's been named the director of the Berlin Museum
where the Nefertiti bust is housed. The whole issue
has now taken on a different meaning and that he was distancing himself
from the inquiry and therefore
could no longer get involved. However, to me, the most worrying thing
was when two representatives came down from Berlin
to persuade me to stop my research. Historian Henri Stierlin
is not someone who is easily intimidated and will continue
his relentless investigation, albeit now totally isolated. Fascinated by the story,
we head back to Berlin for a meeting with Dietrich Wildung. On the eve of our interview, the archaeological expert
decides to cancel. We call back,
faking we haven't received his message. Hello, Wildung here. Mr. Dietrich Wildung. Yes. I'm calling because we have a meeting
arranged for tomorrow about Nefertiti. I wanted to know what time
we can get together. I sent an email out today in which I absolutely refuse
to talk about that object. Otherwise,
I might have serious difficulties. We learnt that the German authorities have formally forbidden Wildung
to talk about Nefertiti's bust or to mention Henri Stierlin's research. To the historian, the bust of Nefertiti
was the result of an experiment. Borchardt had a copy of the bust made
since he wanted to examine sculpting techniques on plaster and in particular
how the Egyptians had used color. In fact, he had at his disposal materials
that had been found during the excavations at Tell El Amarna. He had everything on site. Plaster is fairly easy to make
and it's impossible to date. The stone it's made from
is found all over Egypt. It's a country of limestone. You can use a large piece of limestone
and then make it the size you need. After that, you put the plaster on. Then let the sculptor do his work
and make a good copy. He had a great number of faces
he could copy from authentic objects that had been found. Like this bust, an unfinished,
but authentic model of Nefertiti, which was also discovered
in Thutmosis' studio. It has traces of carbon
showing what still needed to be sculpted. Did Borchardt use a model
like this one found on site, which he then had painted? Borchardt is very precise
in his notes from the dig. He states he found
large quantities of pigments, adding they were all still quite usable. However, if this was an experimental copy,
how is it Borchardt never spoke of it to his team,
nor in his meticulous notes? According to the historian,
on the 5th of December 1912, the archaeologist was in Cairo. He learns that a German princely family
is passing through and wants to visit
his archaeological digs. Caught unprepared,
Borchardt rushes back to Tell El-Amarna. He arrives on the 6th of December, 1912, which was meant
to be a day off for his workers. He immediately sets them back to work. Later, he proudly shows their highnesses
the fruits of his labor. In an excess of zeal,
one of the dig foreman, an Egyptian called Sanusi,
disappears briefly during the visit. Then returns with a bust of Nefertiti. The Royals are pleased with a masterpiece
and a photograph immortalizes the moment leaving Borchardt no time to explain
it was a copy and not the real thing. Henri Stierlin claims the photo
is what trapped the archaeologist. You couldn't just tell the royal visitors
who were enthusing over the object. Listen, you're mistaken. It's ridiculous. It would make a mockery of the royals. It was simply not possible
to tell the truth or the royals
might have been covered in ridicule and that would have been lese majesty
or treason. Which at the time was very serious and could have ruined
Borchardt's career and life for good. After the Royals left
the bust mysteriously disappears for almost 11 years. Borchardt reportedly gave it
to his sponsor, James Simon. It was the wealthy tycoon
who had funded part of his expedition to Tell El Amarna. They were so excited,
James, when he got the message that they'd found this beautiful figure. It was a great anticipation here in Berlin
waiting for it to come back. The bust sat on his coffee table
for almost ten years sitting in his home. From 1912 to 1924,
Borchardt systematically refuses to show the queen in public. At first, I didn't realize the missing eye
was such an insult to her image and dignity. A one-eyed Nefertiti,
definitely a crime of treason and sacrilege against the pharaonic image
of the great queen of Egypt. To find out more,
we visit the University of Liege in Belgium. There, Dimitri Laborie,
one of the greatest specialists of the art and archaeology of ancient Egypt,
gives us his expert opinion. It's a tool, like an artist's dummy. A studio model used so the sculptor
can reproduce faithful copies of the sanctioned image of Nefertiti
that had been backed by Akhenaten and probably Nefertiti herself. The Bust and many others like it were,
says Prof. Laborie, communication tools. The official portrait of the Queen
had to be instantly recognizable to the priests and the people
in both upper and lower Egypt. As to the fact one eye was missing, according to the experts,
that was purely another model. To show the exact depth
it was necessary to sculpt to correctly inlay Nefertiti's eyes. Dimitri Laborie says
the royal bust was a typical studio model of the Akhenaten family style. If you look at Akhenaten's mouth and you look at the mouths
of the Armenian princesses and you look at that
of Nefertiti's father-in-law, they're shaped differently,
in the same sensual and aesthetical form. The key argument
in favor of the bust's authenticity has in fact been disproved by one of Germany's best Egyptologists,
Rolf Krauss. What we know is that the bust was made
according to specific proportions. Not just any proportions, but those of the Egyptian finger. In Britain and the USA, the foot and the inch
are used in the measuring system. The Egyptians used the finger
as a point of reference. To create a new bust,
Akhenaten's sculptor is believed to have first drawn up a reference grid
for sculptors all across Egypt. Each line was based
on the width of a finger. The bust of Nefertiti
had to correspond to these measurements. Rolf Krauss also proved how certain
cross-sections systematically corresponded to precise facial anatomical points. The base of the nose, for example,
or the mouth. In this way,
the face length would be calibrated with the base of the chin
to the headdress. She's made based on propotions calculated on the Egyptian unit
of measurement of 1.875 centimeters, the Egyptian finger. She's built metrically. The counterfeiter at the time
would have had to know how to use the Egyptian centimeter
and not the modern one. The proportional grid
would have allowed regulated production of the bust of Nefertiti across Egypt. Apparently, the forgers at the start
of the 19th century weren't aware of this. There's yet another anomaly
that is further proof the bust is a fake, the shoulders that are cut vertically. The arms on the bust were cut vertically
and apart from some very rare exceptions, it's just not something
you see in Egyptian art. Busts are cut horizontally,
at the level of the shoulders, and not vertically. Is the bust of Nefertiti
with its shoulders cut vertically, the only artwork of its kind
in Egyptian history? To seek an answer,
it's back to Berlin's Neues Museum. The director, Fried Seyfried,
says there is one other example of a bust cut vertically. It's this one also discovered
by Borchardt in 1912 and part of a collection of objects
that's never been put on public display. Upset at the scandal
created by Stierlin's book, Fried Seyfried rummaged through the entire storage
of the museum to find the famous bust, or at least what's left of it. Yes, it is possible to see other examples
of busts with cut shoulders vertically. This one is from the excavations
at Tell El Amarna. You can still see the line
that shows the central axis and you can clearly see the shoulders
cut like the colored queen's. A second bust does exist
with the same cuts of the shoulders. In the spat between experts,
is this a sufficiently strong argument to finally prove
the authenticity of Queen Nefertiti? In Berlin, the Neues Museum, in an effort to put an end
to the rumor mill once and for all, has decided to submit
the bust of Nefertiti to a lie detector test. Can science finally prove it's genuine? The bust has been transferred
to a hospital in Berlin to undergo a scan. What Nefertiti has in her brain
may finally be revealed. The first observation is the bust
is made up of a limestone lump. A lump covered in the plaster,
a method that allowed the sculptor or counterfeiter
to change certain parts of the bust. It's proof Nefertiti was altered. Here you can clearly see the shoulder
viewed from behind. The white part is limestone. What you see below it in gray is plaster,
put on after the sculpture was finished. It's been added to make some corrections. What's absolutely clear from the rearview is that the right shoulder
is higher than the left one. Plaster had been used to correct
and reinforce the curve of the neck of the limestone Nefertiti bust. The sculptor had even altered
the cheeks and cheekbones as well as the bridge of the nose
by adding some plaster there too. Was this the world's first facelift? Other than some proof of plaster surgery,
what do the X-rays prove? The tomography isn't definitive proof. By cutting out samples
from inside the object, you cannot prove when it was made. You can only state
there's a stone interior, and that there's a layer of plaster
that's been sculpted. However, as to when, we just can't tell. I can't tell using this method
that the bust is 3,300 years old. What about the plaster itself used
to cover the limestone, Nefertiti? Does it date from the time of Akhenaten? The Germans took a sample from the bust
and had it analyzed by a chemist, a specialist in ancient Egyptian objects. Several elements were found in the sample
of plaster that existed only in the Armenian period
or a little earlier. The same as in the architecture
and the masks. Which means the plaster mix
was an invention from that era. The composition of the plaster
is typical from the Amarna period. Simply, the plaster that covers
the bust of Nefertiti is indeed of the type used by Egyptians
more than 3,000 years ago. When the bust was discovered, they had no way of knowing
what constituents were in the plaster. The technology that allows such analysis
wasn't developed until the 1950s. A counterfeiter would have had no way
of knowing the Plaster's composition. He might, though, have used plaster found
during the archaeological dig in 1912. For now, though,
there's no way of being sure. There's one other scientific way
to test Nefertiti's authenticity. The pigments which make the bust so vivid
imitate skin color so accurately and make the mouth so sensual. Four colors dominate art in Egypt,
blue, green, ochre, and yellow. Each dynasty's artists, however,
had their own techniques to mix and use pigments. By analyzing the pigments
found at Tell El Amarna, can the bust be finally authenticated? The study of the pigments showed us
that the colors were indeed those used in ancient Egypt and the technique of preparing
the pigments were then abandoned during this period. Here too the forger could have cheated. As you may remember, Borchardt, when he discovered Nefertiti
in the studio of Thutmosis, had also uncovered a treasure trove
of pigments of all colors. There were
yellows, reddish ochres, light ochres and the renowned lapis lazuli blue. By the end of Akhenaten's reign, when the sculptors and artisans
abandoned their studios in Tell El Amarna, they took with them
only the more important things. A large part of their reserves
of pigments, of course. However, they would have left behind
quite a few enough pigments maybe to decorate a queen. Is Nefertiti real or a fake? The experts have no doubt. All the scientific and historic tests
are categorical. The materials are all authentic. However, there remains one issue
a contradiction, a suspicion. None of the materials with which it's made
allow the bust to be dated accurately. No technology exists
that can date stone sculptures. The Technicolor Queen of Eternal Youth will, therefore,
continue to defy science for years to come and like all the great ladies of history,
conceal her age. In the early part of the 20th century,
enthusiastic amateurs played at being explorers following in the footsteps
of the archaeologists. The discovery of the bust of Nefertiti
by Ludwig Borchardt sparked a particular craze for all objects
dating from the period of Akhenaten. Unfortunately,
they were very rarely available. However,
it meant the forgers would be kept busy. At around this time in Cairo,
a certain Emil Bruch starts a lucrative business. He provides artists with genuine articles
which they then copy or use to make fakes. It's almost too easy since at the time, Bruch was in charge of the shop
at the Museum of Antiquities in Cairo. For a while,
the museum would allow its staff members, particularly the restorers,
take some of the objects home with them. To study them, as it were. Some of the restorers
became remarkably accomplished forgers. Today, their identity is largely unknown,
apart from some rare photographs such as this 1910 image
of two known counterfeiters. One is Paolo Dingli from Malta,
variously a painter, sculptor, and forger. Dingli exercised his skills at home. Curiously, Ludwig Borchardt
was known to visit him on a regular basis. One of Borchardt's obligations
was to act as a buyer for museums back in Germany. In those days
forgery was a flourishing business. It was crucial
not to buy the wrong things. There were many forgers back then
and today it's hard to calculate how much counterfeit stuff they produced. The question remains about if some museums
are still displaying some of their fakes. There's not one museum anywhere
in the world that doesn't have forgeries. The quality of some of the fakes
was exceptionally high and there are no guarantees
that even the experts wouldn't be taken in. We all have something in stock
that's a fake. Fakes that for the most part date
back to the 1920s. Modern Cairo
and its 16 million inhabitants. Are there still forgers as talented
as the earlier generation in the city? To get the answer,
we contacted one of them. Luke Vautrin, an archaeologist
and an expert on forgeries, comes with us
as we head out of Cairo towards Memphis. We're going to Memphis,
which is 25km south of Cairo. It's an area that has many studios
where some of Egypt's best forgers live and work. It might be risky, we have to be careful,
but by speaking Arabic, we should be able to win their trust
fairly easily. The counterfeiters headquarters
in the Cairo suburbs is at Mit Rahina, a poor area where no tourist ever goes. To establish contact with the forgers
we pretend to be buyers acting on behalf of rich collectors. Mudia doesn't have his own studio yet. He works from home. At the moment he's working with limestone. He suggests sculpting
a small Pharaoh's head in less than ten minutes. Do you see how fast he is? Look at the technique he's using
and the points of reference he uses. The limestone he's chosen is very soft. Using a simple rasp,
Mudia completes his demonstration in just a few minutes. Then he soaks the sculpture in water to make the veins
and the limestone stand out. The result is convincing. One can imagine what this young forger
could achieve over two months working in granite or other type of rock,
copying from an original work. It's good. Ask him
whether if I bring him an original work, he could make an exact copy of it. Yes, I can copy it. No problem, I can show you
something I've done already. To convince us
he would make a good supplier, Mudia shows us a bust in rose granite,
which he's using to sharpen his skills and which he's copied just
from a photograph. The stone Mudia is using
is 3,000 years old. It would certainly fool the experts. Where does it come from? How can you get hold of stone
that dates back to the Pharaohs' time? The answer lies a short distance
from Mudia's house. These are the ruins of a temple that dates
back to the time of Ramesses II. It's not the only one,
just part of the Great Temple of Path from the Ramesses' period. The site lies abandoned and unsupervised
in the center of Maitrejean, an open air mine for the forgers. The remains of ancient Egypt
are there for the picking. In a few years, nothing will be left. Everything will have been pillaged, just forgeries
sculpted from the legs of Ramesses II or in this column of hieroglyphics. These at least, are genuine. Berlin, March 2011, 18 months
after the opening of the Neues Museum. Visitors flock in their thousands
to see the best ambassador Egypt has ever sent to Germany,
Queen Nefertiti, the German's very own Mona Lisa. On the far side of the Mediterranean,
the latest success of the star exhibit at the Neues has stirred anger
and renewed nationalist sentiments. At the end of the main gallery
of Cairo's big museum, the most powerful man
in the world of egyptology has agreed to be interviewed in the hall
dedicated to the great Pharaoh Akhenaten and his wife, Nefertiti. He doesn't mince his words. For almost two years,
we studied everything until we have a proof
that the bust of Nefertiti in Berlin was taken illegally out of Egypt. The bust of Nefertiti
should be in this museum and not in Berlin. Did the Germans
steal the bust of Nefertiti? Zahi Hawass has made a serious charge. At the start of the 20th century, the custom was that
objects found during digs were equally divided
between the archaeologists and the state of Egypt. Zahi Hawass, the secretary general
of the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Egypt,
says Ludwig Borchardt cheated when it came to Nefertiti. In that time, there was a protocol
that anything for kings and queens to be discovered at Amarna
cannot leave Egypt. In January 1913, the Egyptian authorities
asked a Frenchman, Gustave Lefebvre, to ensure the equal partition
of Borchardt's treasures. It was Lefebvre
who decided to give Nefertiti to the Germans. Why did a Frenchman, of all people,
agree to let the most beautiful statuette in Egyptian history
leave for a Berlin museum? Here's the official version,
according to the Germans. On the 17th of January, 1913, Gustave Lefebvre leaves Cairo
for Tell El Amarna. The excavations had already ended
a month before. Every object the Germans had found
had been inventoried, labeled and packed, ready to leave for the museum in Berlin. Ludwig Borchardt is waiting for Lefebvre. The German is tense,
scared that the Frenchman might confiscate his prized possession,
Queen Nefertiti. We know what happened that evening,
thanks to Bruno Guterbock, an eyewitness to the dividing
of the spoils and one of Borchardt's colleagues. He described what happened
in detail in a letter. Guterbock says the cases were opened
and they looked through everything. I wasn't there, and neither were you. We can't say
this is what really took place. However, Gustave Lefebvre
made his choices. On what basis did Lefebvre act? Why did he allow the Germans
to take the bust of Nefertiti? According to eyewitness, Guterbock, Borchardt outmaneuvered
the younger Frenchman. He knew
Lefebvre wasn't interested in sculptures, but was an expert in ancient writings. To stop Lefebvre rummaging through
the case in which he had packed Nefertiti, Borchardt shows him object number one. Which he says is his principal discovery. It's a coloured stone tablet
portraying Akhenaten and Nefertiti and the princesses. Lefebvre seizes the chance
to study the hieroglyphic inscriptions. Still, according to the witness, Borchardt produced
only black and white photos of the sculptures, busts of the princesses, and of course, that of Nefertiti. A majestic and royal portrait
that it's unthinkable that Lefebvre wouldn't have realized that this object
had to absolutely remain in Egypt. The scandal is revealed by Rolf Krauss. The former curator
of the Egyptian Museum in Berlin, decides to reveal the details
of how the objects were shared. He claims Lefebvre never examined
the contents of the packing cases and that he was never shown
the photo of Queen Nefertiti, but another photo instead. Guterbock wrote that Lefebvre
had seen a bad photo of Nefertiti. One which showed only a part of the bust,
the nose, the mouth, and the eyes, but not the whole bust. The photograph was dark, it was not clear. It was not colored like today. What Lefebvre allegedly saw then
was a photo of Nefertiti without her royal headdress and necklace,
resembling a princess rather than a queen. Lefebvre did have the possibility
of better judging the pieces by taking them
out of the travelling cases. That way, he would have discovered
the splendid bust of Nefertiti. Lefebvre was taken towards the cases, but he never asked
for the objects to be taken out. He couldn't have known that among them
was such a beautiful object. Borchardt tried his best
to hide the beauty of the statue, and he took it out of Egypt illegally. Did Borchardt trick Lefebvre by showing him an incomplete photo
of the queen? Who cheated? Obviously, Borchardt. Archaeologist, Rolf Krauss,
believes the bust of Nefertiti should be in a museum in Cairo,
but definitive proof was still lacking. We found it in this extraordinary document
from 1913. It's the official list of how the fines
from Borchardt's excavations of 1912 were divided, written by Gustave Lefebvre. In the left hand column are the things
selected by Lefebvre for the Cairo Museum. Object number one,
the renowned painted stone tablet representing Akhenaten and Queen Nefertiti
playing with their daughters. In the right hand column,
among the items on their way to Berlin, object number one is listed as a bust. It's not of a queen,
it's a bust of a royal princess made of painted plaster. Queen Nefertiti, therefore,
never officially existed in the most infamous sharing
out of spoils in Egypt's long history. Will she ever resume her place
as queen in Egypt, leaving behind her only her royal shadow?
