List of burials in the Valley of the Kings

The following is a list of burials in the Valley of the Kings, in Thebes (modern Luxor, Egypt) and nearby areas.

The numbering system was established by John Gardner Wilkinson in 1821. Wilkinson numbered the 21 tombs known to him (some of which had been open since antiquity) according to their location, starting at the entrance to the valley and then moving south and west. Tombs that have been discovered since then have been allocated a sequential KV number (those in the Western Valley are known by the WV equivalent) in the order of their discovery.^[1]

Since the mid 20th century, Egyptologists have used the acronym "KV" (standing for Kings' Valley) to designate tombs located in the Valley of the Kings. Additionally, the acronym "WV" is also used to designate tombs located in the West Valley (of the Kings).

Map

KV1

KV2

KV3

KV4

KV5

KV6

KV7

KV8

KV9

KV10

KV11

KV12

KV13

KV14

KV15

KV16

KV17

KV18

KV19

KV20

KV21

WV22

WV23

WV24

WV25

KV26

KV28

KV29

KV30

KV31

KV32

KV34

KV35

KV36

KV37

KV38

KV39

KV40

KV41

KV42

KV43

KV44

KV45

KV46

KV47

KV48

KV54

KV55

KV56

KV57

KV58

KV59

KV61

KV62

KV63

A map of the Valley of the Kings with locations of tombs marked

Table legend

•   Tomb is stable and open to visitors^[2][a]
•   Tomb is stable, but closed to visitors
•   Tomb is unstable and/or unsafe and closed to visitors^[a]

East Valley

Most of the open tombs in the Valley of the Kings are located in the East Valley, and this is where most tourists can be found.

Number	Time Period[b]	Discovered	Intended for	Short summary
KV1	20th Dynasty	0001 Antiquity	Ramesses VII[3]
KV2	20th Dynasty	0001 Antiquity	Ramesses IV[4]
KV3	20th Dynasty	0001 Antiquity	Unidentified[c]
KV4	20th Dynasty	0001 Antiquity	Ramesses XI[6]
KV5	19th Dynasty	1825 1825	Ramesses II (sons)[7]	With 120 known rooms and excavation work still underway, it is probably the largest tomb in the valley.
KV6	20th Dynasty	0001 Antiquity	Ramesses IX
KV7	19th Dynasty	0001 Antiquity	Ramesses II[8]
KV8	19th Dynasty	0001 Antiquity	Merneptah
KV9	20th Dynasty	0001 Antiquity	Ramesses V[d]	Also known as the Tomb of Memnon or La Tombe de la Métempsychose.
KV10	20th Dynasty	0001 Antiquity	Amenmesse	While intended for him, there is no direct evidence that Amenmesse was ever buried at this tomb.
KV11	20th Dynasty	0001 Antiquity	Ramesses III	Also referred to as Bruce's Tomb, The Harper's Tomb.
KV12	18th Dynasty	0001 Antiquity	Various	This was possibly used as a family tomb.
KV13	19th Dynasty	0001 Antiquity	Bay[e]
KV14	19th Dynasty	0001 Antiquity	Tausret[f]
KV15	19th Dynasty	0001 Antiquity	Seti II
KV16	19th Dynasty	1817 1817	Ramesses I
KV17	19th Dynasty	1817 1817	Seti I[10]	Also known as Belzoni's tomb, the tomb of Apis, or the tomb of Psammis, son of Necho.
KV18	20th Dynasty	0001 Antiquity	Ramesses X	While this tomb was intended for the burial of Pharaoh Ramesses X, it was apparently abandoned while still incomplete.
KV19	20th Dynasty	1817 1817	Ramesses VIII[g]
KV20[11]	18th Dynasty	1799 1799	Thutmose I & Hatshepsut[h]	This tomb has been closed since 1994 due to flooding.
KV21	18th Dynasty	1817 1817	Queen ...[i]	The original owner of this tomb is unknown, tombs KV22 to KV25 are part of the west valley mentioned below.
KV26	18th Dynasty	1835 c.1835	Un­known	The original owner of this tomb is unknown.
KV27	18th Dynasty	1832 c.1832	Un­known	The original owner of this tomb is unknown.
KV28	18th Dynasty	1832 c.1832	Un­known	The original owner of this tomb is unknown.
KV29	Un­known	1832 c.1832	Un­known	The original owner of this tomb is unknown.
KV30	18th Dynasty	1817 1817	Un­known	Known as Lord Belmore's tomb.
KV31	18th Dynasty	1817 1817	Un­known	Excavations which mapped KV31 in 2010 & 2011 found the remains of five mummified elite individuals dating to the Eighteenth Dynasty.
KV32	18th Dynasty	1898 1898	Tiaa
KV33	18th Dynasty	1898 1898	Un­known	The original owner of this tomb is unknown.
KV34	18th Dynasty	1898 1898	Thutmose III
KV35	18th Dynasty	1898 1898	Amenhotep II	During the Third Intermediate Period of Egypt over a dozen mummies were relocated here. Many of these included royalty as indicated by inscriptions on their burial wrappings. This tomb has been closed since 1994 due to flooding.
KV36	18th Dynasty	1899 1899	Maiherpri	A noble from the time of Hatshepsut.
KV37	18th Dynasty	1899 1899	Un­known	The original owner of this tomb is unknown.
KV38	18th Dynasty	1899 1899	Thutmose I	KV38 was used for the reburial of Pharaoh Thutmose I of the Eighteenth Dynasty. Thutmose I was originally entombed in KV20 before being moved here by Thutmose III.
KV39	18th Dynasty	1899 1899	Amenhotep I[j]
KV40	18th Dynasty	1899 1899	Various royal individuals	Burials date to the time of Thutmose IV and Amenhotep III, with members of their family being interred in it. Later intrusive burials from the 22nd Dynasty are also present.[13]
KV41	18th Dynasty	1899 1899	Not used	This has been described as a shaft rather than a tomb possibly belonging to Queen Tetisheri.
KV42	18th Dynasty	1900 1900	Merytre-Hatshepsut	This tomb was originally constructed for Hatshepsut-Meryetre, the wife of Thutmose III. She was never buried here though, and the tomb was later reused by Sennefer (mayor of Thebes during the reign of Amenhotep II).
KV43	18th Dynasty	1903 1903	Thutmose IV
KV44	18th Dynasty	1901 1901	Un­known	The original owner of this tomb is unknown.
KV45	18th Dynasty	1902 1902	Userhet	Tomb of a noble
KV46	18th Dynasty	1905 1905	Yuya & Thuya	The parents of Queen Tiye. Until the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun, this was the best preserved tomb to be found in the Valley.
KV47	19th Dynasty	1905 1905	Siptah
KV48	18th Dynasty	1906 1906	Amenemipet called Pairy
KV49	18th Dynasty	1906 1906	Storage[j]	Tomb was possibly a store room.
KV50	18th Dynasty	1906 1906	Animals (pets)	Tombs contain animal burials, which were possibly the pets of Amenhotep II, whose tomb is nearby.
KV51	18th Dynasty	1906 1906	Animals (pets)	Tombs contain animal burials, which were possibly the pets of Amenhotep II, whose tomb is nearby.
KV52	18th Dynasty	1906 1906	Animals (pets)	Tombs contain animal burials, which were possibly the pets of Amenhotep II, whose tomb is nearby.
KV53	18th Dynasty	1906 1906	Un­known	The original owner of this tomb is unknown.
KV54	18th Dynasty	1907 1907	Embalming cache	This was probably an embalming cache for the tomb of Tutankhamun.
KV55	18th Dynasty	1907 1907	Smenkhkare & Akhenaten	This tomb might be another mummy cache, and once possibly contained the burials of several Amarna Period royals – Tiye and Smenkhkare/Akhenaten.
KV56	19th Dynasty	1908 1908	Un­known	Known as the Gold Tomb, the original owner of this tomb is unknown. Items with names of Ramesses II, Seti II and Tausret were found.
KV57	18th Dynasty	1908 1908	Horemheb[14]	This tomb has been closed since 1994 due to flooding.
KV58	18th Dynasty	1909 1909	Un­known	Known as the Chariot Tomb, the original owner of this tomb remains unknown. Gold foil contains names of Tutankhamun and Ay
KV59	Un­known	1885 c.1885	Not used	This tomb appears to have been unused
KV60	18th Dynasty	1903 1903	Sitre In	KV60 contains the mummy of Sitre In, who was a royal nurse of Hatshepsut. Another mummy was found that could be Hatshepsut herself, this is yet to be proven by DNA.
KV61	Un­known	1910 1910	Not used	This tomb appears to have been unused.
KV62	18th Dynasty	1922 1922	Tutankhamun[14]	Perhaps the most famous discovery of modern Western archaeology was made here by Howard Carter on November 4, 1922, with clearance and conservation work continuing until 1932. It was the first royal tomb to be discovered still largely intact (although tomb robbers had entered it), and was for many years the last major discovery in the valley.
KV63	18th Dynasty	2005 2005	Storage	Initially believed to be a royal tomb, it is now believed to have been a storage chamber for the mummification process.[15]
KV64	18th Dynasty	2011 2011	Nehmes-Bastet	The tomb of a priestess, discovered in January 2011.[16] The tomb was excavated in 2012 and was shown to have been used in the 18th as well as in the 22nd dynasty. The Lady Nehmesbastet lived during the 22nd dynasty.[17]

West Valley

The numbering the West Valley follows in sequence to that of the East Valley, and there are only five known burials/pits in the valley.

Number	Time Period[b]	Discovered	Intended for	Comments
WV22	18th Dynasty	1799	Amenhotep III	The badly damaged mummy of Amenhotep III was later moved from the tomb, and restored in Year 13 of Smendes, and was ultimately discovered cached in KV35. This tomb was re-excavated in the 1990s, but is not open to the public.
WV23	18th Dynasty	1816	Ay[14]	The contents of KV58 likely originated from WV23, as Ay's name occurs more frequently than that of Tutankhamun. "WV23" is the only tomb open to the public in the West Valley.
WV24	18th Dynasty	c.1832	Unknown	"WV24" is an unfinished tomb that may have been intended for a high ranking noble. It could have also been built as a storage chamber for overflow from the royal burial as seen with WV23 and WVA.
WV25	18th Dynasty	1817	Unknown	This tomb may have been started as the Theban burial of Akhenaten, but it was never finished.
KV65	18th Dynasty	2018	Unknown	An unfinished tomb entrance, discovered in 2018[18]
WVA	18th Dynasty	1845	Storage	This was a storage chamber for Amenhotep III's tomb which is located nearby.

See also

• List of burials in the Valley of the Queens
• Minor tombs in the Valley of the Kings
• List of Theban tombs
• Theban Mapping Project

Notes

1. It's impossible to know when any given tomb will be open or closed to visitation.
2. This column only includes the Dynasty in which the tomb was finished in. Numerous tombs found in the Valley of the Kings were reused during later periods that stretch into the Byzantine Empire.
3. This tomb was for an unnamed son of Ramesses III.^[5]
4. KV9 was later reused by Ramesses VI as his own.^[9]
5. KV13 was later used to entomb Amenherkhepshef and Mentuherkhepshef.
6. KV14 was later reused by Setnakhte.
7. KV19 was intended for Ramesses VIII, but was later used instead by Mentuherkhepshef
8. KV20 may have been re-cut and refurbished during the reign of Hatshepsut to accommodate the burial of both her and her father.
9. It has been suggested that KV21 was used for a queen's burial. The two female mummies found within had their left arm crossed on their chest, a pose only used for queens.^[12]
10. Unconfirmed

References

1. "Theban Mapping Project, tomb numbering systems in the valley". Archived from the original on 2007-02-12. Retrieved 2005-12-05.
2. Julianna Barnaby. "Visiting The Valley of the Kings: A Practical Guide". The Discoveries Of. Archived from the original on May 9, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
3. "KV 1 (Rameses VII) – Theban Mapping Project". www.thebanmappingproject.com. Archived from the original on 2015-10-15. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
4. "KV 2 (Rameses IV)". www.thebanmappingproject.com. Archived from the original on 2009-05-06. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
5. "KV 3 (Son of Rameses III) – Theban Mapping Project". www.thebanmappingproject.com. Archived from the original on 2012-08-05. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
6. "KV 4 (Rameses XI) - Theban Mapping Project". www.thebanmappingproject.com. Archived from the original on 2009-04-10. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
7. "Audio - Atlas of the Valley of the Kings - Theban Mapping Project". Archived from the original on 2012-04-02. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
8. Christian Leblanc. "The Tomb of Ramesses II and Remains of His Funerary Treasure". Archived from the original on 2006-09-19. Retrieved 2006-12-04.
9. "Tomb of Ramesses VI (KV9)". Ministry of Antiquities. Archived from the original on December 1, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
10. "Tomb of Sety I (KV17)". Ministry of Antiquities. Archived from the original on March 13, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
11. "KV22 Thutmes I and Hatshepsut". Theban Mapping Project. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
12. "KV21 Unknown". Theban Mapping Project. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
13. Susanne Bickel, Princesses, Robbers and Priests – The unknown side of the Kings' Valley, Presentation at a conference at the Museo Egizio in Turin, Italy, October 14, 2017, Online; KV 64 discussed at 40:00 onwards
14. "Tomb of Tutankhamun". Ministry of Antiquities. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
15. "Pharaonic find was mummification room, not tomb", Discovery Channel. Retrieved 29 May 2006.
16. Bickel, Suzanne; Paulin-Grothe, Elina; Alsheimer, Tanja (2011). "Preliminary Report on the Work Carried out During the Season 2011" (PDF). University of Basel Kings' Valley Project: 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 November 2021.
17. Susanne Bickel, Princesses, Robbers and Priests – The unknown side of the Kings' Valley, Presentation at a conference at the Museo Egizio in Turin, Italy, October 14, 2017
18. El-Aref, Nevine (10 October 2019). "Zahi Hawass announces two archaeological discoveries by his team in Luxor - Ancient Egypt - Antiquities". Ahram Online. Retrieved 3 April 2023.

External links

• Tomb Numbering Systems in the Valley
• List of tombs in the Valley of the Kings with accurate photographs and descriptions.