Egypt reopens 3,400-year-old tomb located 46 feet underground. First found during Napoleon era, it has hieroglyphs from the Book of the Dead

Tomb of one of ancient Egypt’s most powerful rulers, Amenhotep III, has been reopened for visitors. The 3,400-year-old site, which was first discovered during Napoleon era, was closed for visitors around two decades back. But now visitors can now again see the ancient site located 46 feet underground.

The tomb was first found in 1799 during Napoleon’s Egyptian campaign by French engineers Prosper Jollois and Édouard de Villiers du Terrage. After more than a century, it was later excavated by British archaeologist Howard Carter in 1915 but by then, looters had emptied the chamber centuries earlier.

The tomb was restored between 2001 to 2024 in three phases by Egyptian, Japanese, and international teams and was officially reopened on October 4, 2025. “Two hundred and sixty representatives over these 20 years — researchers specialised in conservation, technicians with particular skills. I think this is a special achievement,” Nuria Sanz, UNESCO's regional director in Egypt said after the Amenhotep III's tomb was reopened.

Who was Amenhotep III?

Amenhotep III, also called as Amenhotep the Magnificent, ascended the throne as a teenager during the height of the 18th dynasty. During his 38 years rule, Amenhotep III built many temples, palaces and statues including the Colossi of Memnon near Luxor, a pair of large stone figures that once guarded his mortuary temple. He also built a major temple at Soleb in Nubia and many buildings in Memphis.

Amenhotep III had two queens - Tiye and Sitamun. Tiye, who was a commoner, said to be a shrewd and able woman who became the chief queen and the mother of the reforming king Akhenaten.

What's inside the tomb?

The tomb is located almost 46 feet underground and visitors have to go through a 36-meter (118-foot) passage slopes downward into a network of three connected chambers - one for the king while the other two belonged to his queens.

Despite being completely looted, the tomb still retains its remarkable splendour. Its wall depicts Amenhotep III among the gods, surrounded by ritual inscriptions invoking eternal life. Unlike some other tombs in the valley, this one was never fully decorated.

Besides its vibrant and weathered paintings, the walls have sacred hieroglyphs drawn from the Book of the Dead. These texts were intended to guide the pharaoh safely into the afterlife. “You can still see the frame of the stolen sarcophagus box, with its lid preserved in the place where it once rested,” said Mohamed Ismail, secretary-general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, during the launch.

Ofcourse, the pharaoh’s mummy no longer rests inside the complex. Long ago, ancient priests said to have shifted it to the tomb of his grandfather, Amenhotep II, for protection. Today, it is displayed at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation in Cairo alongside 16 other royal mummies.