• The valley of the queens is situated to the extreme south

of the Theban necropolis, its local name was "Biban el

Harim" exactly like the Valley of the Kings which was
called "Biban el Muluk", its original ancient name in the
text is "t3 st nfrw".
• It is the place which was chosen for the tombs of the
queens and the princesses of the 19th and 20th Dynasties,
as well as some tombs belonging to the 17th Dynasty,
while the 18th Dynasty queens preferred to be buried in
the valley of the kings like Queen Hatshepsuit, Tawesrt,
queen Ty the wife of Amenhotep III.
The owner
• Amen-her-khepsh-ef (Amun Is with His Strong Arm) was
another son of Ramsess II thus a brother or a half -
brother of Khaemwaset, both were named after sons of
Ramses II.
• Amenherkhepshef was an heir to the throne, royal
scribe and the chief of the charioteers. It seems
that he died young during the reign of his father.
• Recent research has revealed that Amenherkhepshef was
never buried in this tomb. As it turns out, another
sarcophagus, originally designed for Queen Tawsert, was
altered for this son of Ramesses III and discovered in the
tomb of chancellor Bay (KV13). There is no idea why this
tomb was not used for the prince's burial.
Discovery of the tomb
• The tomb was discovered by Schiaparelli in 1904,
where he discovered an empty sarcophagus.
• Little in the way of artifacts were discovered in
this tomb. The unfinished pink granite
sarcophagus was found in the sarcophagus
chamber but was later moved to the rear most
chamber. Schiaparelli discovered a small wooden
casket holding a fetus which had originally been
wrapped in the bandages
undecorated
Antechamber
• On the right side of the front wall, a damaged
figure of Thoth is followed by Rameses III
embraced by Isis.
• Amenherkhepshef also stands on the front wall,
facing to the right, carrying a fan. He's following
another figure of his father, who stands on the
left side wall censing before the god Ptah.
Farther on, father and son are led forward by
Tatenen, then by a canine-headed Duamutef,
then a human headed Imsety, and finally, on the
left side of the rear wall, by Isis .
• Scenes on the left from wall of the chamber are
now missing. But on the right front wall one can
see Amenherkhepshef and his father censing
before Shu. and the king, led by Qebehsenuef
and Hapy.
• Finally, on the right rear wall Amenherkhepshef
and Rameses III stand before Hathor in the same
pose saw left of the door.
• On the thicknesses of the gate into the next
chamber, Isis (on the left) and Nephthys (on the
right) face outward and perform an act of
purification called "making nini." The hieroglyph
for "water" is drawn just above each of their
outstretched hands .
The Burial Chamber

• On the front wall, on either side of the gate,

Amenherkhepshef is shown as an Iunmutef priest,
wearing a panther skin with paws and claws but not the
panther headed clasp that is often a part of this costume
• The scenes on the left and right walls are from chapters
145 and 146 of the Book of the Dead. The twenty-one
gates through which Rameses III guides his son are
described in those chapters, and each is protected by a
genie. The accompanying text must be recited by the
king and Amenherkhepshef to the genie at the gate in
order to pass through.
A spell for gate 7
• This is what they must say at the seventh
gate (the first on the left wall of the
chamber): "Make a way for me, for I know
you, I know your name and know the
name of the god who guards you. 'Shroud
Which Veils the Limp One; Mourner Who
Wishes to Hide the Body' is your name.
'Ikenty' is the name of her "doorkeeper ".
• A side chamber beyond the right wall of
the burial chamber is undecorated.
• On the rear wall of the burial chamber,
painted above the door, is an especially
beautiful scene of two gracefully-coiled
serpents, Wadjet and Nekhbet, protectors
of the cartouches of Rameses III. Above
them is a winged solar disk.
Rear chamber
• The walls are undecorated but an unfinished
anthropoid coffin sits in the chamber. Originally,
it would have been placed in the preceding
burial chamber. The mummy of a wrapped
human fetus now in a glass case in the corner
was found south of the Valley of the Kings by
Schiaparelli. It is not from this tomb.