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High cheekbones, a long nose, full lips and a prominent chin: Pharaoh Akhenaten’s facial features, as seen in various sculptures, often stand out among the various depictions of ancient Egyptian kings.
While it cannot be known for certain if Nefertiti’s husband actually looked as the sculptures suggest or if they were a result of artistic expression, a photo of Egyptian influencer Youssef Mohamed posing next to one in the Grand Egyptian Museum has gone viral – and it suggests that the bust was a naturalistic representation.
The resemblance between 23-year-old law student Mohamed and the bust of Akhenaten is striking, and no one is more surprised than Mohamed.
“I didn’t expect that,” Mohamed says.
Before he went to the museum to take photos for social media, he had no idea about his resemblance to the legendary pharaoh. The answer from his fellow internet users, however, has been loud and clear.
“People wrote that I was evidently a descendant of the pharaohs. There’s no need for a DNA test.”
The comparison is gratifying, he says.
“It makes me proud that I look like someone from our history. People now call me Akhenaten’s grandson. That makes me proud and happy.”
He is also grateful for the additional fame that the post has brought him. While he stands in front of the bust, two young people approach him and ask for selfies.

Mohamed is well-versed in the story of Akhenaten, who ruled circa 1353BC-1336BC and who attempted to replace the ancient Egyptians’ polytheistic beliefs with the worship of a single deity, the sun disc.
He also knows that the most famous bust of Nefertiti is kept in Berlin, Germany. “My grandfather Akhenaten is sad because his wife is not here,” he says with a wink.
Mohamed hopes his viral social media posts will further fuel interest in ancient Egyptian history and the new museum, especially among young people. Many send him pictures of themselves with the bust, he says.
The recent opening of the world’s largest archaeological museum is drawing more global attention to the region as a whole.
The collection includes the glittering treasures of the ancient Egyptian child king Tutankhamun and the solar boat of King Khufu, or Cheops.
Thirty years in the making, the Grand Egyptian Museum, located near the Pyramids, opened on November 1 in a lavish ceremony attended by dozens of world leaders and media representatives.
It is still welcoming an average of around 19,000 people every day, according to a spokesman.
During several visits, one reporter found enormous crowds filling the museum from the morning onwards, many locals among them.

The Egyptian newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm reported a significant increase in interest among Egyptians in the history of their country thanks to the huge media interest surrounding the museum’s opening.
If the current visitor numbers continue throughout the year, the Grand Egyptian Museum is on track to become one of the most visited museums in the world. Only the Louvre in Paris, France, and the National Museum of China in Beijing had higher average visitor numbers last year.
Since visitor numbers have exceeded the expectations of Egyptian authorities, the museum is now bringing in measures to regulate the crowds who have flocked to see ancient Egyptian artefacts.
From the beginning of December until further notice, people will have to buy their tickets online ahead of their visit, according to a statement from the museum administration.
The world’s biggest archaeological museum was, before its opening, also the world’s most delayed museum. First set to open in 2012, the museum was repeatedly delayed thanks to the Arab spring uprising in Egypt in 2011 and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Some 30 years after it was first announced, construction work on the project was completed at a cost of around US$1 billion.


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Egyptian influencer Youssef Mohamed has gone viral for a photo he posted showing his resemblance to a pharaoh of ancient Egypt. Photo: Christoph Meyer/dpa

The resemblance between Youssef Mohamed and the bust of Akhenaten is striking. Photo: Instagram/youssefmohamed562

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Egyptian influencer Youssef Mohamed hopes his resemblance to Pharaoh Akhenaten fuels further interest in ancient Egyptian history


Egyptian influencer Youssef Mohamed hopes his resemblance to Pharaoh Akhenaten fuels further interest in ancient Egyptian history.
