(CNN) A quest by Egyptian authorities to discover a secret chamber in the tomb of Tutankhamun has ended with a frank admission -- that it doesn't exist.

The investigation was launched after British Egyptologist Nicholas Reeves had suggested that a secret tomb, possibly belonging to Queen Nefertiti, was concealed behind the north and west wall paintings of Tutankhamun's burial chamber.

A picture taken on September 28, 2015 shows the golden sarcophagus of King Tutankhamun in his burial chamber in the Valley of the Kings, close to Luxor.

But according to a statement from Egypt's Ministry of Antiquities, months of tests carried out by Italy's Polytechnic University in Turin, which used ground-penetrating radar (GPR), provided "conclusive evidence of the non-existence of hidden chambers adjacent to or inside Tutankhamun's tomb."

Photos: King Tut – Sandro Vannini has been photographing the Valley of Kings in Egypt for over two decades. He used breakthroughs in technology to capture this ancient civilization in remarkable detail.



This image shows the decoration of a large funerary scarab made from green semiprecious stone. Hide Caption 1 of 10 Photos: King Tut – Vannini's photographs are featured in a new book, ""King Tut: The Journey Through the Underworld," that has been published to celebrate the centenary of Carter's first excavation in the Valley of Kings. Hide Caption 2 of 10 Photos: King Tut – This is a miniature version of royal coffins containing the embalmed and wrapped viscera of the king. Hide Caption 3 of 10 Photos: King Tut – "To tell more the soul of the object than just the object itself," Vannini said. This image shows the tomb of Nefertari-Nefertari and the jackal-headed Anubis. Hide Caption 4 of 10 Photos: King Tut – This photograph captures a statue depicting the young king in the nemes headdress. Hide Caption 5 of 10 Photos: King Tut – This statue, one of the colossal statues that originally stood in front of the pillared hall of the Temple of the Aten at Karnak, presents the king wearing the royal nemes-headdress with a uraeus at the forehead. Hide Caption 6 of 10 Photos: King Tut – This lamp takes the form of a tall lotus-shaped globet attached to a stand. Hide Caption 7 of 10 Photos: King Tut – This is a servant statue. He has wide eyes that make him seem alive. Hide Caption 8 of 10 Photos: King Tut – This boat is occupied by a shrine and a servant holding a lotus. Hide Caption 9 of 10 Photos: King Tut – The tomb of Ramesses: Kephri and Osiris sitting on their throne. Hide Caption 10 of 10

"The studies...have shown that no chambers exist, or even an indication of any threshold or door frames, which contradicts the previous theory that had assumed the existence of passages or chambers adjacent or inside the burial chamber," the statement quoted Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, as saying.

British Egyptologist Nicholas Reeves had theorized that Queen Nefertiti may have been buried in a secret chamber.

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