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Index
Valley of Kings Valley of Queens Nobles
Thutmosis III Chaemwast Senedjem
Amonhotep II Amon-her-khopsef Inherkhau
Ramses I Menna
Ramses VII Sennefer
Ramses IX Neb-n-Maat
Merenptah Dhutmose
Mont-her-khopsef Shamut
* Deir el Medina *Qurna *el Kokha
Thutmosis III
One of the oldest tombs in the valley is that of Thutmosis III. The famous royal Theban family at the beginning of the 18th dynasty chose this valley as their burial place.
The tomb of Thutmosis I probably was the first to be built here, today it is closed for the public (although the entrance lies open). Nothing of importance is there to see, except for some minor inscriptions on the walls.
Near the tomb of Thutmosis III we can find the entrance of the tomb of his half brother and predecessor Thutmosis II. The tomb is closed.
The burial place of Thutmosis III is on the contrary very interesting both in decoration and in
location. They who have the courage to climb the steep stairway at the end of the cliff will
find an almost complete and beautiful decorated tomb.
Here we find the work of the scribes, who painted the walls with parts of the Book of the Dead and the Book of Amduat. This style went on all the way till Amonhotep II. After him the tombes were indeed decorated with inscriptions and representations of the farao. Also the painting got the overhand and the craftsmen and artists took the place of the scribes. Although the scribes stayed still in position as overseer.
The photos of this tomb are complete and cover the whole burial chamber.
To the tomb
Amonhotep II
Being the son of Thutmosis III and Meryet-Re Hatshepsut, he succeeded his father as farao. He built his tomb at the west side of the cliff not far from his greatgrand father Thusmosis I.
He also was the direct grandson of the famous Hatshepsut. Like the tomb of his father it was
rather small and had a angle of 90 degrees. Just behind the entrance there is a well shaft
protecting the tomb and the mummy from the danger of flooding. Although also decorated
with scenes from the Book of Amduat, it is not as detailed as that of Thutmosis III. The
burial chamber
To the tomb
Tut-Ankh-Amon
Tut-Ankh-Amon, probably the one pharao appealing to us the most. The most famous pharaos of all. He was one of the last, found at the Valley in his almost undisturbed tomb. Or is it because we can gaze upon his eternal look of his golden mask in the Cairo Museum and making him almost alive. The contence of his tomb, the beautiful items, sometimes so personal and touching, moving our hearts.
The young pharao raised as a boy at the court of Ankh-n-Aton at Amarna. He who lived in a dream that was roughly disturbed by the end of the Aton-religion. The force that overthrew this power, probably by the same men Aye and Horemheb, put the 9 year old boy on the throne to rule over an empire, unknown to him and worshipping gods unknown to him.
He was forced to change his original name Thut-Ankh-Aton into Thut-Ankh-Amon and to restore the legitimate power of Amon at Thebes.
Certainly the great Aye was the man behind the boy straitening out things and restoring the peace in the empire. Recent investigations of the mummy indicate that Thut-Ankh-Amon died of unnatural couse, so it is very likely that he was murdered at the age of 18. If he prepared this tomb himself is very unlikely and probably an old private tomb was used. The decoration is sparse and only received the burial scene, opening of the mouth, by no other than Aye. In dis way Aye depicted himself as the true successor.
The groundplan of the tomb is typical of the 18th dynasty, with the rotation of 90 degrees.
There is no well shaft, which we normally see at the other royal tombs from this period and
this could indicate, that indeed an unfinished, abandoned private tomb was adapted for the
king, probably adding two storage rooms at the chapel at the king?s death.
Aye
Aye, being a relative of the queen Teje the wife of Amon-hotep III played a very significant and probably an obscure role during the reign of Ankh-n-Aton. As high priest of Amon he became a follower of the Aton believe and it was during this time, his power grew and he was the strong arm behind the farao. Ankh-n-Aton, who had only interest in Aton-religion was not able to solve the internal affairs and problems. It was Aye who took care of these things together with Horemheb.
When things seemed to get out of control, Aye with the help of Horemheb, put aside the farao. There is no evidence of actualy killing Ankh-n-Aton, but the way and the speed things happened, indicates that something did happen. Ankh-n-Aton disappeared, Amarna was abandoned and all images of the farao have been destroyed.
It is in this setting we have to place the mysterious tomb KV55. It was in this tomb where several items were found, connected to Ankh-n-Aton and his brother Semekh-ka-Ra. Many things were re used and names altered. All was a complete mass and many questions remained. The names of Teje, Semekh-ka-Ra appears on the items and destroyed again. The mummy which was found could belong to him or Ankh-n-Aton.
Also the death of Thut-Ankh-Amon is certainly obscure and the latest facts indicates that he also died an unnatural death. (examination of the mummy in 1998). And now we see the old Aye on the throne, supported by the army and of course Horemheb.
The reign of Aye lasted only for about four years, probably due to his old age and by his marriage with the widow of Thut-Ankh-Amon he legalized his claim on the throne.
He started to build his royal tomb not in the valley of Kings itself, but in the Western Valley where we also find the tomb of Amon-hotep III. The decoration of the tomb is very much a like that of Thut-Ankh-Amon and is preserved well at the moment. It is open to the public and worth while to pay a visit.
His successor, Thut-Ankh-Aton was forced to change his name into Thut-Ankh-Amon and
the young boy had to move back to Thebes.
To the tomb
Horemheb
Horemheb is the true example of the old Egyptian selfmade man. Born as a farmers son, he rose in the army during the reign of Ankh-n Aton and became general and finaly commander in chief. And so he became one of the most powerful men in Egypt. The fact that the farao introduced the Aton believe and pushed Amon aside made that he depended on the army forces to establish his power as sovereign.
After Ankh-n-Aton was put aside the residence was changed from Amarna, which became an abandonded city, to Memphis.
During the reign of his successor Aye, Horemheb stayed in position as Commandor in Chief and it was during this period, that he started to build his tomb at the Sakkara region, near the Step-piramid of Djoser. Here we find several other tombs of high officials from the time of the reign of Thut-Ankh-Amon and Aye. Near the tomb of Horemheb there is also that of Maya, another high official.
After Aye died and already had started to build his tomb at the western valley near the valley of kings, Horemheb became farao, by the lack of a heir to the thrown. By a mariage with the widow of Thut-Ankh-Amon his claimed the throne as farao. And changed the residence back to Thebes. After this he started building his tomb in the Valley of Kings at the far west side just at the slope of the cliff. The tomb itself is unfinished at halfway the work was stopped probably caused by the death of the farao. The mummy itself was not found at this tomb but
but at the Royal Cache near the Temple of Hatshepsut and was moved by the priests in times
of unrest.
To the tomb
Ramses I (KV16)
With the death of Horemheb the 18th dynasty collapsed and there was no one left from the old Theban family to inherit the throne. An old comrade in arms of Horemheb became his right-hand man. His name was Pa-Ramses and later we will know him as Ramses I and the founder of the 19th dynasty. During the reign of Horemheb, this Pa-Ramses was not only a high ranking officer, but was favoured with many titels, Vizier, Chief of Justice and also Vice-regent.
With Ramses I changed the way the tombs were built. They were no longer built at the end of the valley at the base of the cliffs, small and bended with an angle of 90 degrees.The experience had learned that this way of building did not give enough protection to the tomb and one found a new way. The tombs from the Ramsesside period are in the middle of the valley showing their wide entrance, which could be easily guarded. A straight and long corridor cut deep into the rockbed leading to the chapel. But as we saw, even this way of burial did not live up to the expectations, and again the robbing went on. In restless times the tombs have been opened and undone from their contence. The priests, responsible for the preservation of the mummy, took the damaged mummies, rewrapped them and gathered them in a few tombs, Amonhotep II and the Royal Cache at Deir el Bahri. It must have been an enervating time for the priests and gives us an image of their devotion for the bodies, to see how they took the trouble to do this, time after time.
The tomb of Ramses I is rahter small for a Ramsesside tomb, a steep corridor down leading to the one main chapel, which is beautiful decorated. It has the distinctive gray-blue tone on the walls as we also can see at the tomb of Horemheb, his immediate predeccessor and is probably the mode of this time.
We see the soul of Ramses accompanied by the gods Anubis and Horus in the afterlife on the
left wall next to the corridor. On the left wall we have a beautiful scene from the Book of the
Gates ( the 4th hour) with 12 goddesses representing the 12 hours of the night. On the
opposite wall of the corridor there is a scene of Ramses kneeling between the souls of the
cities Pe and Nechen. There are 3 siderooms for storage. In the middle of the room is the
sarcophagus of red granite from the region of Aswan.
To the tomb
Ramses III
Ramses III was a son of Sethnakht, and probably the last great pharao of the New Kingdom. After the Great Ramses II the empire collapsed and his successors, brief in their reign could not resolve the problems. Hostile neighbours attacking the borders again and again, internal disturbance. In fact the decay of the New Jingdom had started. At the beginning of the 20th dynasty, when Ramses III succeeded his father, there was this brief revival and once again the flame sparkled in the darkness of the empty years. It was probably due to his ambition to match his achievements with that of his predeccessor Ramses II and his great skill as an army general that he succeeded. He managed to stay in office for almost 31 years. In his 5th year his he defeated the Lybians, in his 8th year he beat back the invading hordes of the Seapeople of which we can see beautiful documentation on the walls of the temple at Medinet Habu. Again in his 11th year he smashed the Lybians and although this battles were in fact strictly defensive, he succeeded in keeping Egypt united and establishing its power. But as succesfull he was in his campaigns, the more he failed to solve the internal and domestic affairs. His viziers revolted against him and he had to remove them from office. Another remarkable event was the fact that it was during his reign the workers of the village Deir el Medina had layed down the work in a strike. During his 29th year the workers, weeks behind in their rations refused to work tp prevent themselves and their families from starvation. Finally a conspiracy, organized by his wife Teye, one of his sons and the royal household brought an end to the old pharao.
For his burial place, Ramses III, chose the abandonded tomb (KV11) of his father, who had finished probably only the first three corridors and then stumbled on the tomb of Amonmesse
This could have been the main reason for Sethnakht to change the location for his tomb in
(KV14). But Ramses III changed the angle of the corridor, rose a little and afterwards the
fourth corridor decending to eventually the chapel.
To the tomb
Ramses IV
Ramses IV was already in his forties when became pharao and although he wanted to live up to his predeccessors Ramses II and the III, he was not able to do so. At the time of the death of Ramses III, the land of Palestine was lost and Ramses IV was unable to regain control. Also he had to deal with the internal problems concerning the death of his father and the murderers. Trials and punishment of the conspirators are in detail reported in the Judicial Papyrus of Turin. And as we saw among them was one of Ramses III sons, called by the name Pe?n-ta-weret and we will encounter this name again.
His reign lasted 6 years and he managed to prepare for himself his almost complete tomb at the Valley of the Kings, very rich decorated. His mummy was found with others gathered in the tomb of Amon-hotep II (KV35)
He started the building of a hugh temple near Deir el Bahri, but it was in early stage
abandoned, probably caused by his unexpected death.
To the tomb
Ramses VI
When Ramses V died after a brief reign of 6 years he was succeeded by Ramses VI, the son of Pe?n-ta-weret, and the grandson of Ramses III. Because of the fact that his father was put to death by Ramses IV for his part in the conspiracy of the murder he showed his gratitude by encountering the monuments of his predeccessorwith great hostility. And that is why we find so much damage in the tomb of Ramses IV.
He also usurped the tomb of Ramses V and his mortuary temple, altering them for his own use. And all of this give us an idea about the state of the empire and the ever progressing decay. The armies still organized in the oldfashioned way, with their weapons from the Bronze Age, could not deal with the iron ones of the other nations, and so the Asian front collapsed. Egypt was forced to hire more and more mercenaries, but then again these forces began to plunder when their regular pay stopped. And it had to stop because there was coming no more tribute from the Asian nations, once occupied by Egypt.
So also economicly there was no way out and chaos was complete, but probably most sycnificant was the loss of belief in the divinity of the king. And the successors of Ramses VI all lacked the energy or the interest and their brief reign only made the situation worse. And so the empire struggled to the end of the 20th dynasty and it was also in this time that a large scaled tomb robbery started. And as we saw before it was also in this time that the priests of Amon began to gather and save the royal mummies, using new secret hiding places, like the Tomb of Amon-hotep II (KV35) and the Royal Cache at Deir el Bahri.
To the tomb
Ramses VII Ramses IX Siptah Merenptah
Merenptah was the 14th son of Ramses II, who died in 1223 BC at a very high age. He out lived many of his successors and when Merenptah started his reign, he was already in his fifties. He inherited a difficult situation and a weakend empire, due to the fact that the once so strong Ramses and great warrior during the last years of his reign, was nothing more than an old senile man. In the fifth year of his reign, Merenptah had to deal with a great number of invasions in the Northern delta by Sea-people. And it was due to his great skill and experience he destroyed the enemy in a 6 hour battle near the town of Per-yeru.
Another problem Merenptah encountered was the shortage of resources, caused by the extensive building career of his father. Many of the buildings Merenptah erected, are there for of minor lay-out, being constructed of materials plundered from other structures or just
directly usurped from his predeccessors. Two diorite statues, once belonging to Amonhotep III at the Luxor temple, were setup in the eastern doorway and were given the name of Merenptah. His temple was also built with parts of the temple of Amonhotep III and on the backside we find the name of his predeccessor.
His palace at Memphis however seems to be erected complete new. The reign of Merenptah lasted for about 10 to 12 years and he must have been over seventy when he died. He was married to his half sister Iset-nefert, who gave him a son, named Seti Merenptah.
His tomb is one of the largest of the valley and almost next to that of Ramses II and cut deep into the cliffs at the northern side. It has a long high corridor, slow decending, two staircases finally ending in the chapel, which is decorated with scenes from the Book of the Gates and the Book of the Caverns.
The mummy of Merenptah eventualy was found in KV35, the tomb of Amonhotep II together
with several other royal mummies, (Amonhotep II and III, Ramses IV, V, VI, Seti II,
Sethnakht, Siptah and Thutmosis IV).
To the tomb
Sethnakht
After the death of Merenptah, a period of 17 years followed, in which weak faraos successed one after the other and reigned only for several years. Amonmose was a nephew of Merenptah and he was his immediate successor. Although his reign was short, about 4 years he built himself a reasonable seized tomb in the Valley of the Kings (KV10), at the south west side of the valley. Amonmose was succeeded by his cousin Sethi II, who reigned only for about 5 years, but the building activities are numerous and besides his tomb and mortuary temple he built a temple, sphinxes and statues at the Karnak temple. When he died his widow queen Ta-usert succeeded him, together with probably one of his offspring by one of his royal harim women, Ankh-n-Ra Merenptah Si-Ptah. Shortly after the death of Sethi II she discarded her title as Kings Great Wife and took the full name of farao. Then she started to prepare a tomb for herself in the Valley of Kings (KV14) which contains beautiful decoration. She is represented alone or together with Siptah and wether or not there existed a co-regency with him, she must have died before him and he reigned as farao the last years alone. He built his own tomb (KV47) near that of Ta-usert, but eventualy his mummy was discovered in the Tomb of Amonhotep II (KV35), together with that of Ta-usert. With the death of Siptah the 19th dynasty ended, and a kingdom in decay.
Sethnakht was the founder of the 20th dynasty and he brought back order in the country and reinstated the temples. He started a tomb in the Valley of the Kings (KV11), but this was abandoned unfinished with his early death and he was buried in hastly in the tomb of queen Ta-usert. His mummy was probably found at KV35.
To the tomb
Seti I
Seti I being the son and heir of Ramses I, was already middle-aged, when his father ascended the throne. As Vizier of Upper Egypt and Commander in the army he had spend a great deal of his youth. When his father founded the 19th dynasty as an old man, Seti I shared the faraonic duties with his father. So after about 1 year and 4 months the old man died and Seti took over. In the first year of his reign Seti 1 expanded Egypt and conquered Palestine and Syria. With this action he re established the Egyptian power of the 18th dynasty and predeccessor Thutmosis III. A very detailed record can be found in the temple of Karnak on the northern wall of the hypostyle hall. He also had to deal with Lybian invaders in the Delta.
In the far South between the 2nd and 3rd cataract he built fortifications. His reign lasted for about 12 years and he started to build his royal tomb in the Valley of Kings next that of his father in the South-did sectio?s. The tomb is high and cut out diep into the rocks. The tomb is beautifully decorated and counts as one of the finest in the valley. In the sixties it was excavated by Sheikh Abdel Rassul who tried to excavate a new passage. But in the seventies the tomb was closed by the gorvernment, because of the danger the burial chamber would collapse. Since that time the tomb has been closed. At the moment archeologists are examining the tomb, which was damaged over the last 20 years. The damage is that severe that probably this tomb will never be opened again for the public. The ceiling and the walls are collapsing and they are trying to save the tomb.
In this tomb we find decorations of the complete Book of the Dead, like the tombs of Thutmosis III and Amonhotep II, but it differs in the fact, that the reliefs are not written in black and red, but beautifully painted and carved. There are complete versions of the Book o the Gates, the Book of the Caverns, the Book of the Day, the Book of the Night and the Book of the Cow of the Heaven. Also we find the Litany of the Sun and an ancient text of the Deliverance of Mankind from destruction.
Seti I built a tomb for his mother Queen Sit-Re in the southern region, and with this act he started a new tradition, which has been followed by many of his successors, because this place is now know as The Valley of Queens.
At Abydos he built near the tomb of Osiris a very large and beautiful temple. It has very nice
colored reliefs, representing Seti I and the gods.
The valley of Queens.
This valley in a remote place, at the southwest corner of the mountains, is like the valley of the Kings special in it?s kind. From the beginning at the 18th dynasty the burials took place of the queens, princes and most favourite nobility.
The main attraction of course is the tomb of Queen Nefertari, wife of Ramses II, which was opened only recently, after restorations and being closed for over 40 years. Now everybody with interest can gaze upon the beautiful painted walls, which give us proof of the love and devotion. Because indeed this tomb has been painted with love and if you missed it, well then you missed probably the most beautiful tomb on this planet. And it is a credit to the Egyptian Government to allow us, the tourists, to enjoy such beauty.
But of course there is much more to see at the valley, besides Nefertari.
We also find to beautiful tombs of the sons of Ramses III, named Amon-her-khopsef and Chaemwast. Both tombs are camera-restricted now and even the glass walls will not give you the opportunity of taking good pictures.
But however, on this CD you will find some very good photos of both tombs.
Only recently at the Valley of Kings, archeologists are excavating the large tomb of the sons of Ramses II. And as you will notice, none of his sons of the predecessor of Ramses III have been found here.
The last tomb open to the visitors is that of Queen Titi, probably another wife of Ramses II. It
is not fully described yet and the condition is disappointing, because the walls are severely
damaged.
Amon-her-khopsef
Four tombs of the sons of Ramses III are located here at Queens Valley. Amon-her-khopsef was one of the youngest sons. On the wall of the Medinet Habu Temple one can see that in fact there were 13 princes and 14 princesses.
The paintings on the walls in the tomb are very special in their kind, because here we can see the young prince, accompanied by his father the farao, introducing him to the various gods and leading him on his last journey.
The tomb itself is in excellent condition and the colors are magnificent. One should think it was only painted yesterday.
The young boy in his white long dress and the specific hairlock (Ramsesside time) on one side of his head.
To the tomb
Titi
This tomb between that of Amon-her-khopsef (KV55) and Chaemwast (KV44) on the west side of the valley is reasonable restored although severely damaged. It is not fully described and it is difficult to link her to a certain farao. The location of the tomb gives us some clue to speculate, because at this side we find only tombs from the Ramses III period. Ramses II built the tombs for his wives at the opposite side where we find Nefertari too. The seize of the tomb indicates that she was a royal wife and probably a mother a one of the hereditable princes.
The tomb consists of a corridor, a burial chamber and three minor rooms for storage. On the left hand wall we can see queen Titi whorshipping the gods Ptah and Ra-Harakhty. To the right we see Titi before the gods Thot and Amon. The wall in the room to the right we find a beautiful colored appearance of the bull, resembling Hathor in front of the mountains and a sycamore tree and the queen herself.
In the rear room we see Osiris with Isis, Nephthys, Neith and Selkit. In the left room we find
the mummy shaft.
Nobles
The tombs of the nobles are divided in several regions. Most famous are those of Deir el Medina and the Qurna region. But there are also Assasif and el Kohka. The photos on this cd mainly will be of the Medina, the Qurna region
and elKohka region.
The nobles as we call them, were indeed individuals from the upper class and nobility, who
could affort such extensive burial places. For the common people there was only a hole in the
ground or a cave where there bodies were layed to rest.
Deir el Medina
Deir el Medina was known as the workers village, because here lived the workers of the tombs of the faraos. Over the years their craftmenship rose to the highest form of art and during the 18th till the 22th dynasty their skills grew and probably never have been surpassed
It is here we find the tombs of the nobles Senedjem (GN1), Inherkhau (GN247) and the third open to the visitors Pashedu (GN3). And in this tombs we find highest form of decoration performed by the best selected craftmen form Deir el Medina.
On this CD you will find both tombs of Senedjem and Inherkhau almost complete. On that of Pashedu we are still working and will be published in a later edition.
If you visited the tombs yourself, you will have noticed the glass walls protecting the tombs.
Now it is almost impossible to take pictures through the glass. Our photos are from the
period before these glass walls had been erected and give an excellent result.
Senedjem
Senedjem was a servant in the place of truth and it is still a mystery how he managed to affort such a big and beautiful tomb for him and his family. In fact he was just a commoner and certainly did not belonged to any nobility. He lived during the reign of Seti I and Ramses II (18th dynasty). He probably worked on the tombs of Seti I and Ramses II in the Valley of Kings. Among the furniture found in his tomb was an instrument to measure, called the Royal Cubit rod and represented the distance between the elbow and the tip of the middle finger (20,6 inches). There was also an A-shape right angle with limestone bob and one peace for plumb level. This indicates that our Senedjem was probably an architect and helped in building both royal tombs. And this explaines that after all he indeed was reasonable high positioned. If we compare the decoration of the tomb of Seti I with that of his own there is a lot of resamblance in used colors and paintings.
His tomb was discovered by Schiaparelli. He received the nickname the Tut-Ankh-Amon of Deir el Medina, just because his tomb was discovered almost undisturbed and many of the beautiful funeral furniture, coffins and mummies of his and his wife Inyferty are now in the Cairo Museum. Also some beautiful decorated wine jars, bearing collars of flower petals and Lotus flowers, were found.
After his burial several other relatives, mainly his sons and their wifes, were put at his side.
This proves even more that his family was not that important and high ranking, so that they could not affort a tomb of their own. In total there were 6 direct relatives and 11 other mummies buried after Senedjem died.
There were Chonsu, his son and his wife Taamakht, Ramose, Taaschsen, Isis and a girl
named Hathor.
To the tomb
Inherkhau
Just a few steps to the right of Senedjem we find the tomb of Inherkhau. He was an overseer of the workers during the reign of Ramses III and Ramses IV
To the tomb
Pashedu
The third and most recent tomb opened in the Deir el Medina village is that of Pashedu and
can be dated to the Ramessid period. His title ?keeper of the place of truth? indicates that he
was attached to the temple of Amon.
A narrow corridor is leading to the tomb chapel and on the walls left and right we find the
representations of Anubis the Jackal. On the right wall of the chapel we see Pashedu
worshipping to the gods Re-Harkhty, Atum, Khepri, Ptah and Osiris. On the left wall we find
the deceased, accompanied by his wife and children, giving hommage to Horus. On the rear
wall we see the mountains of the dead with Horus-eye and Pashedu in worship to Osiris. The
wall facing the entrance shows the famous scene of Pashedu in prayer under the palm tree
To the tomb
Ramose
Ramose was a high ranking nobel during the reign of Amon-hotep IV (Ankh-n-Aton) and his tomb speaks for his position, since he was the Governor of Thebes and Vizier of the Farao. Although unfinished, the tomb has been rich decorated with many scenes from daily life. It is also a mixture of two styles, the old one of the Amon-hotep III period and the new Amarna cult. Probably the building of the tomb was abandoned when the capital was transferred from Thebes to the new city Amarna.
The centre of the tomb is formed by the hypostyle chamber. On the left wall we find the very famous funeral procession
On the wall left of the entrance we can see some very fine reliefs representing Ramose and his wife Merit-Ptah, all in the Amon-hotep III style, although changing to the Amarna.
On the opposite wall we find the farao Amon-hotep IV in old style receiving the adoration from Ramose and appointing him as Vizier, but on the right part of this wall we find the heretic Aton sundisk.
Through the corridor we enter a passage to a lower level, where a chamber with 8 papyrus columns was left unfinished and undecorated.
To the tomb
Rechmire
The tomb of Rechmire is the oldest tomb, open to the visitors, since Rechmire was Vizier under Thutmosis III and Amon-hotep II. It's a very peculiar tomb, with it's T-shaped baseplan and the long corridor, form which the ceiling rises higher and higher towards the end, reaching up till 18 ft. If you go for a visit, make sure, you have a torch with you, because otherwise it is impossble to see all the detailes.
On the walls in the left corridor, we find some beautiful scenes from various tradesmen from Punt, Nubia and Syria. All kind of animals, like giraffe, panthers. Elephants and also gold and silver and beautiful painted
On the same wall hear the corridor you can find one of the very rare cartouches found in a noble tomb of that of the farao, Thutmosis III.
On the left wall in the middle corridor we have the funeral procession and on the right wall we find the daily life of Rechmire, a beautiful pont with all kind of trees and his house.
To the tomb
Chaemhat
He was a high official during the reign of Amonhotep 3. His titles were Royal scribe and Overseer of the Granaries of Upper and Lower Egypt. Instead of the T-shape the tomb has a shaft with an entry on the right. We enter the vestibule with some really magnificent haut-reliefs. On the left wall we can find scenes from the work in the field. On the right wall we find the deceased recieving rewards from Pharao Amonhotep 3. When we pass the little corridor we enter the chapel with some funeral scenes on the left and the pilgrimage to Abydos on the right.
Finally we enter the room at the end where we find three pair of really good statues of Chaemhat and his family.
However this tomb is not painted in colors but completely depicted in haut-relief. We also
can see the severe damage and black tone from the fires in Roman times.
To the tomb
Userhat (TT56)
The tomb can be dated to the reign of Amnohotep 2 and Thutmosis 3
To the tomb
Neferhabef
The owner of this tomb, also called Userhat, was a high official during thwe reign of Seti 1 and his title was First Truthsayer of the Royal Ka of Thutmosis 1 and must not be mixed up with the owner of tomb 56 which bore the same name Userhat.
This tomb is very beautiful and rich in color. Trough the entrance we enter the first room. On the w-wall we find some very nice scenes of the deceased, his wife Hatsjepsut (also called Sjepset) and his mother.
On the S-wall we can see the worshipping and the god Thot, the devine scribe, giving report about the deceased to Osiris and Anubis.
On the N-wall we find some wheeping women, while Neferhabef and his two wives and a son are offering and praying to Osiris, accompanied by two goddesses and also bringing hommage to Thutmosis 1 and Ahmes Nefertari.
Through a small corridor we enter the chapel with four pilars. The walls are undecorated and
in the left corner we see the burialshaft.
To the tomb
Shamut (TT409)
Shamut, "Son of Mut", also called Kiki, was scribe and overseer of te cattle in the stables of Amun. He lived durring the reign of Ramses 2 and was married to Rajaj.
The tomb was cleared in 1959, although it's presence was known already since the early 1902 as TT247. This rather small tomb, consisting of an entrance and burial chamber is the first of two tombs, which used the same entrance. The second tomb accessible from a small corridor at the right side is leading to a small burial chamber of Nefer-ron-pet.
Together with 4 other tombs it was completely covered by present houses of El Khokha, which now are demolished to get a good entrance to the tombs.
Probably,futher to the South, a few more tombs are expected to be situated.
Benia
The tomb
Nakht
The tomb of Nakht at the edge of the Qurna village is impressive for its decoration and the famous scenes of the dancers and musiciens are well known. Although rather small in seize this tomb is typical for the middle classed man, because Nakht was not like others high in rank. He was a scribe, but above all he was attached to the temple and hold the position of watchman of the hours. It means that he was resonsible for the continuance of the holy rites in the temple. He was married to Tauj and we can see them togather at the banquet sitting of a chair attending to their guests. Beneath the couple we see the figure of the domestique cat.
It's not possible to date the tomb accurately, but the style of the decoration indicates that the tomb can be dated to the time of Thutmosis IV and Amonhotep III. (18th dynasty)
The wall on the left hand corridor:
Here we can see Nakht overseeing the work on the fields, the harvest and winnowing the grain. At the opposite wall we have the banquet, with the very famous scene of the blind harpist and the ladies attending the the festivities. At the lower part we find the scene of the three women playing the flute, lute and harp.
The tomb is unfinished. At the end of the tomb we find the burial shaft.
To the tomb
Menna
The tomb of Menna is very much alike that of Nakht in color and design and can also be dated to the time of Thutmosis IV. His titles ?Scribe of the estate of the Lord of Upper and Lower Egypt? indecates that he was Overseer of the lands of Pharao and looking after the fields and harvest. This makes him a person of the middle class and we can see from his tomb that he was a man of significant importance, able to affort for himself and his family such a tomb. It is magnificent decorated and we can obeserve closely the work in the fields. The general building plan of the tomb is T-shaped and is consisting of a forecourt, a small corridor connecting the main chapel and the chapel itself.
The left side of the forecourt: The decorations on the left wall are mainly about the office Menna held and give us a good impression of the work in the fields. We can see the harvest in various stages, the winnowing of the grain and finnaly the servants carrying away the grain in big baskets.
The rear wall: Menna himself joined by his wife Henut-tauj, a chantress of Amon, paying hommage to Osiris. On the lower part we see members of the family and servants bringing flowers and food as offering.
The right side of the forecourt:
At this part of the forecourt we see the couple sitting on a chair and probably attending a banquet as we already noticed at the tomb of Nakht, but unfortunately this part of the wall is severely damaged and most of the painting has been lost.
Through a narrow corridor we enter the chapel and at the left side wall we see the funeral procession with servants carrying the gifts to the tomb. On the second part Menna appears before Osiris. At the rear wall there is a niche with two statues of Menna and his wife. On the right side wall we have a magnificent representation of family life while hunting in the papyrusfields. It is very high detailed and beautiful colored. We see the daughters of Menna picking flowers while Menna himself is hunting birds and fishes accompanied by his wife and daughters. On the second part of this wall we notice various stages of the holy rites during the mummification proces and the opening of the mouth.
At the right side of the forecourt we find various offering scenes.
To the tomb
Chonsu
Chonsu was the fortune-teller of Thutmosis III (18th dynasty) and he built his tomb at the Qurna necropool. The tomb is T-shapedand from the entrance we enter the fore-court.
Left-side: L-wall with the barque of Monthu and priests offering to Monthu. Rear with the continuing of the procession
R-wall with priests carrying the barque to the pylon of the temple of Monthu
Right-side: R-wall with scenes of the final judgement, the weighing of the heart in company of his wife, Osiris and the goddesses Isis and Nephtys.
Rear Festival of Thutmosis III with the royal barque.
L-wall with the deceased and his family in front of Osiris and Anubis.
Through the corridor we enter we chapel. On the ceiling in front of the chapel we can see beautiful paintings from birds and grasshoppers.
The chapel: On the rear wall we find a niche with the deceased, dressed as a priest in leopard-skin offering to the godds Osiris and Anubis.
To the tomb
Senmut
Senmut was the great architect and Vizier during the reign of Hatshepsut and probably already in office during her father Thutmosis I. He is also one of the very few commoners to own 2 tombs. The first one nr 71 was built upon the hill at Qurna facing the front of the Deir el Bahri temple, one of his most favourite creations and definitely his best. It is form his early period and started probably during the building of the temple. It was here that the family of Senmut was found, his father, mother, sister and consorts, his skipper and even his favourite horse. But no trace of the great Senmut himself, and if he was to be buried, it probably would have been here, because the second tomb was unfinished. The tomb is severely damaged, by men and by nature, although there are still some very beautiful colors left, giving us an image of it?s magnificence and splendour. Especially the ceiling is very rich decorated, but heavily damaged by rainfall. And we still can find his name all over the walls, colored in light blue. In front of the entrance there are still the remains of his statue, probably with Neferure, the royal daughter of Hatshepsut.
The second tomb nr 353 is located directly in front of the temple at the right side and must
have been built during the last aprt of the building of the temple or even after it had been
finished. The decoration is totaly different, and the walls are painted with black and red ink.
Three steep corridors are leading directly beneath the centre of the temple and here the work
of the chapel was already started, but then the work stopped, and it was probably due to the
fact that Senmut fall into disgrace and was banded from the court of Hatshepsut. During the
reign of Thutmosis I he entered office and grew in power. He became the key figure behind
Hatshepsut, clearing the road for her to became pharao. Eventualy he put aside her nephew
Thutmosis III for about 20 years and afer fallen in disgrace with Hatshepsut, he disappeared
from the scene, probably short before her own downfall. Both undergowing the hatered of
Thutmosis III.
Neb-n-maat (218-220)