Egypt Restores Two 18th Dynasty Tombs of Amun Temple Door Keepers in Luxor

Egyptian authorities on May 14, 2026, unveiled two restored ancient tombs on the West Bank of Luxor that date back to the New Kingdom and contain scenes of daily life and funerary rituals. The tombs are those of Rabuya, also known as Amenhotep Rabuia, and his son Samut from the 18th Dynasty, the first of the New Kingdom dynasties.

Rabuya and Samut served as door keepers of the deity Amun, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said.

The tombs are located in the El-Khokha necropolis on the west bank of the Nile in Luxor. They contain scenes including agriculture, harvest, crafts, bread production, pottery production and wine production.

The tombs also hold scenes illustrating funerary practices and religious imagery. The tombs of Amenhotep Rabuia and Samut date back to the reigns of Pharaohs Thutmose III and Thutmose IV.

Egyptian authorities on the same day exhibited a plaster blocking wall of King Tutankhamun's tomb in Luxor. The West Bank of the River Nile at Luxor is home to the Valley of the Kings, where pharaohs and nobles of the New Kingdom were buried in tombs carved into the rock. Tutankhamun, popularly known as King Tut, had his 14th-century BC tomb unearthed in 1922.

The tombs of Amenhotep Rabuia and Samut belong to an earlier period within the same New Kingdom era that produced the more famous royal burials. Ancient Egyptian paintings adorn the newly restored tomb wall inside the recently restored ancient "Samut" in the El-Khokha necropolis.

The recently restored ancient "Samut" (TT417) and "Amenhotep Rabuia" (TT416) stand outside in the same necropolis where restoration work reached completion.