Tomb of Amunherkhepshef

Luxor


If you can't afford entry to the Tomb of Nefertari, the valley’s showpiece is the tomb of Amunherkhepshef, with beautiful, well-preserved reliefs. Amunherkhepshef, a son of Ramses III, was in his teens when he died. On the walls of the tomb’s vestibule, Ramses holds his son’s hand to introduce him to the gods who will help him on his journey to the afterlife. Amunherkhepshef wears a kilt and sandals, with the sidelock of hair typical of young boys.

The mummified five-month-old foetus on display in the tomb is the subject of many an inventive story, among them the suggestion that the foetus was aborted by Amunherkhepshef’s mother when she heard of his death. It was actually found by Italian excavators in a valley to the south of the Valley of the Queens.