Egyptian archaeologists believe that a mummy touted by a television channel as that of Queen Nefertiti is actually that of a male.

Discovery Channel had aired pictures of the mummy in June, and quoted a British archaeologist as saying that there was a "strong possibility" the mummy was that of Nefertiti.

But Hassan Nasrallah, a spokesman for the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Cairo, said, "Examinations show that it was that of a male, between the ages of 16 and 19."

There has been intense debate about the mummy's gender ever since it was discovered more than a century ago in Luxor.

Nefertiti, famed for her beauty, was said to be the wife of Pharaoh Akhenaton, who ruled in the 14th century BC.

But Nasrallah said the pelvis was that of a male: "The width of the hips points to a male, not a female."