IFAO

In the framework of the DAI Cairo’s long-term project at Dra’ Abu el-Naga the extraordinary double tomb complex K93.11/K93.12 has been archaeologically investigated. Originally cut in the early New Kingdom both rock tombs were re-used in the 20th dynasty by the High Priest of Amun Ramsesnakht and his son and successor Amenhotep. By installing elements of temple architecture into the forecourts, the High Priests re-modeled the two tombs into monumental tomb-temples which form outstanding examples of their kind. Regarding their distinct architecture and elaborate temple character they constitute the missing link between the typical Ramesside tomb-temple and the monumental Late Period tomb complexes in the Asasif. The recent discovery of a processional causeway linking the tomb complex to the main processional axis of the West Bank sheds new light on its incorporation into the “Beautiful Feast of the Valley”. The paper will introduce the latest archaeological results from K93.12, the complex of Amenhotep (being the latest known New Kingdom elite burial in Thebes), and present some considerations on the tombs’ contextualization in the Theban ritual landscape.