The Supreme Council of Antiquities is carrying out a number of archaeological projects to safeguard Egypt's civilizational heritage and open new attractions to visitors, both citizens and tourists, helping improve the tourism experience at the Egyptian destination. Three ancient tombs are being restored and developed in the El-Khokha area on the West Bank in Luxor, ahead of opening two of them to visitors in the coming period, while the third tomb is already open to visitors after its development.
The project includes the tomb of Amenhotep called Rabuya (the father), No. TT416, gatekeeper of the Gate of Amun at Karnak, dating back to the reign of King Thutmose III; the tomb of Samut (the son), No. TT417, dating back to the reign of King Thutmose IV; and the tomb of Nakht, No. TT52, which also dates back to the reign of Thutmose IV and is currently open to visitors.
In this context, Sherif Fathy, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, said the project to restore these tombs is part of the ministry's strategy to preserve ancient Egyptian heritage and make it accessible to visitors in a way befitting its historical value, noting that restoration works are not limited to safeguarding the archaeological elements but also extend to improving the visitor experience by developing services and infrastructure, strengthening Egypt's position as a global destination for cultural tourism.
For his part, Dr. Hisham El-Leithy, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, explained that the restoration works were carried out according to the latest scientific methods with the participation of specialized teams of restorers, stressing that the project aims to strike a balance between preserving the authenticity of the tombs and protecting them from deterioration, and making them accessible in a safe and organized manner.
He noted that the three tombs are distinguished examples of the art of depicting daily life and funerary beliefs during the New Kingdom, and are important additions to the tourist visit map on Luxor's West Bank.
Moamen Othman, Head of the Restoration and Archaeological Projects Sector at the Supreme Council of Antiquities, explained that the restoration works on the two tombs (TT416 and TT417), which are set to open for the first time since their discovery in 2015, included an integrated program covering the precise restoration of wall scenes and architectural restoration of the walls, along with removing debris, mechanical cleaning, treating cracks, and consolidating and maintaining the colors.
The works also included developing the visit infrastructure by installing wooden floors and a modern lighting system, leveling the outer courtyard and building stone stairs to ease visitors' movement, as well as equipping the area with guidance and information panels, wooden shades and benches for visitors' comfort, in addition to preparing information material and a guidebook in Arabic and English.
For his part, Mohamed Abdel Badie, Head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector at the Supreme Council of Antiquities, noted that the two tombs are distinguished by their T-shaped architectural layout, the prevailing style in 18th Dynasty tombs, each comprising a transverse hall decorated with scenes of daily life and a longitudinal hall containing funerary scenes. The two tombs were also reused during the Late Period, which added new architectural elements to them, such as burial chambers and shafts.
He added that the tomb of Rabuya is rich in agricultural scenes and distinctive funerary rituals, including a rare scene of offerings to the goddess Renenutet, while the tomb of Samut, though unfinished, contains high-quality artistic decorations.
As for the tomb of Nakht, scribe of the granaries in the reign of King Thutmose IV, which is open to visitors, the development works included replacing and renewing the protection system for its wall scenes and inscriptions, replacing the old glass that had surrounded them since the 1990s with modern glass that preserves the inscriptions while improving internal ventilation, as well as updating the lighting system and carrying out precise restoration of the inscriptions. The restoration team also carried out comprehensive cleaning of the tomb, including removing dust, mechanical cleaning and treating fine cracks.
The tomb follows the prevailing architectural layout of 18th Dynasty tombs, with an entrance leading to a transverse hall and then a longitudinal hall with a statue niche at its center. Its wall inscriptions depict Nakht and his wife offering aromatic oils over the offerings, along with scenes of him supervising agricultural work, as well as various scenes of presenting different offerings.
