Three New Tombs of Senior Officials from New Kingdom Discovered in Luxor’s Dra Abu El-Naga

Egyptian archaeological mission working in Dra Abu El-Naga area on the west bank of Luxor has uncovered three tombs dating back to the New Kingdom era, during the current excavation season at the site.

Mr. Sherif Fathy, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, described the discovery as a scientific and archaeological achievement that adds to the growing list of archaeological finds enhancing Egypt's position on the global cultural tourism map.

He added that these newly discovered tombs are expected to significantly contribute to attracting more visitors, especially those interested in cultural tourism, due to their distinctive historical and human value.

Moreover, Fathy emphasized that this discovery, made entirely by Egyptian hands, reflects the outstanding capabilities of Egyptian archaeological teams in achieving internationally recognized, high-impact discoveries.

Dr. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, who visited the site to inspect the discovery, explained that all three tombs date back to the New Kingdom period.

The names and titles of their owners were identified through the inscriptions found within the tombs.

He noted that the mission will continue its cleaning and documentation work to further study the remaining inscriptions and conduct scientific publication of the findings.

Mr. Mohamed Abdel Badi’, Head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector at the Supreme Council of Antiquities, pointed out that one of the tombs belongs to a man named "Amun-em-Opet" from the Ramesside period, who worked in the temple or estate of Amun.

He stated that although most of the tomb’s scenes have been damaged, the remaining parts depict offerings, funerary furniture bearers, and a banquet scene.

The second and third tombs date back to the 18th Dynasty. One of them belongs to a man named "Baki," who was a supervisor of a grain silo. The other is attributed to a person named "S," who served as a supervisor of the Amun temple in the oases, the mayor of the northern oases, and a scribe.

Regarding the tomb architecture, Dr. Abdel Ghafar Wagdy, Director-General of Luxor Antiquities and head of the mission, noted that Amun-em-Opet’s tomb consists of a small courtyard, followed by an entrance and a square hall ending in a niche, whose western wall was broken during a later reuse of the tomb to create another hall.

Baki’s tomb features a long, corridor-like courtyard that leads to another courtyard, followed by the main entrance, a transverse hall, and a longitudinal hall ending in an unfinished shrine containing a burial shaft.

The tomb of "S" includes a small courtyard with a shaft, followed by the main entrance, a transverse hall, and an unfinished longitudinal hall.