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Egypt Reopens Pharaoh's Tomb After 20-Year Restoration
4 Oct
Summary
- Tomb of Amenhotep III reopened in Luxor, Egypt
- Tomb was under renovation for over 20 years
- Tomb includes burial chambers for the king and his wives
On October 4, 2025, Egypt announced the reopening of the tomb of Pharaoh Amenhotep III in the southern city of Luxor. The tomb had been closed for over 20 years for a comprehensive restoration project led by a team from Japan.
Amenhotep III was one of the most prominent pharaohs of the 18th Dynasty, ruling ancient Egypt from around 1390 BC to 1350 BC. The tomb, located in the famed Valley of the Kings, was discovered in 1799 but had been looted, with the sarcophagus and other valuable artifacts stolen.
The restoration project, which was carried out in three phases, focused on renovating the paintings on the tomb walls, depicting Amenhotep III and his wife. The tomb also includes a main burial chamber for the king and two other chambers for his wives, Queens Tiye and Sitamun.
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While the tomb is not fully decorated like other ancient tombs in the valley, it still features inscriptions from the Book of the Dead, a collection of spells aimed at guiding the dead through the underworld. The severely damaged mummy of Amenhotep III has been moved to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation, where it is showcased alongside 16 other mummies of ancient Egyptian kings and queens.
The reopening of the tomb comes just a month before the official inauguration of the Grand Egyptian Museum near the Giza Pyramids, which is scheduled for November 1, 2025. These efforts are part of Egypt's ongoing push to revive its tourism sector, a major source of foreign currency, which has struggled since the political turmoil and violence that followed the 2011 uprising.
