Egypt has officially reopened the tomb of Pharaoh Amenhotep III in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, following an extensive restoration project that spanned more than two decades.
The ceremony, held on Saturday in the western part of Luxor, was led by Egypt's Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sharif Fathi, alongside senior Egyptian and international officials, including representatives from UNESCO and Japan, a country that played a crucial role in this restoration.
The restoration was carried out under the "Preserving the Murals of the Tomb of King Amenhotep III" project, implemented in cooperation with the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt, Waseda and Higashi Nippon Universities of Japan, and supported by the UNESCO-Japan Trust Fund. The work's main focus was to safeguard and preserve the tomb's intricate murals, sculptures and architectural elements, many of which had suffered severe deterioration over the centuries.
In his address, Minister Fathy expressed gratitude to UNESCO and the Japanese government for their long-standing partnership in safeguarding Egypt's heritage. He described the tomb's reopening as a "remarkable example of Egyptian-Japanese cooperation" and commended the efforts of the restoration teams who dedicated over 20 years to the project.
Egyptian restorer Mohamed Mahmoud, who has worked on the site since its early stages, was invited to join the celebration. Visibly moved, he said, witnessing the reopening was "a dream come true" after devoting much of his professional life to the project.
The project was completed in three phases: between 2001-2004, 2010-2012, and 2023-2024. It involved Egyptian, Japanese and Italian specialists in mural conservation, stone restoration, 3D scanning, and structural engineering. More than 200 fragments of the pharaoh's red granite sarcophagus lid were reassembled, while the murals on the walls and ceilings were cleaned and stabilised.
New information panels and lighting have been installed to help visitors understand the tomb's history and layout. The chamber's vivid decorations, depicting the king's journey to the afterlife beneath a star-studded blue ceiling, have been restored to their former brilliance.
The tomb was discovered by French Egyptologist Victor Loret in 1898. Pharaoh Amenhotep III was of Egypt's Eighteenth Dynasty. The tomb is located in the western arm of the Valley of the Kings. and contains two subsidiary chambers for the king's wife Tiye and daughter-wife Sitamen.
Since 1989, Waseda University in Japan has led ongoing conservation efforts under Sakuji Yoshimura and Jiro Kondo. The tomb, decorated with exquisite scenes from the Amduat, resembles those of Amenhotep II and Thutmose IV but with finer craftsmanship.