The discovery offers insight into the lives of high-ranking officials who once served in temples and administrative positions across ancient Egypt.
Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy hailed the find as “a significant scientific and cultural accomplishment that strengthens Egypt’s status on the global cultural tourism map.”
He stressed the importance of this discovery and its potential to attract cultural tourism and deepen appreciation for Egypt’s unparalleled historical heritage.
“These tombs are not just burial chambers,” he said, describing them as windows into the lives, roles, and beliefs of key figures in our ancient society.
“The fact that this discovery was made entirely by Egyptian hands reflects the exceptional capabilities of our archaeological teams,” he stated.
Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) Secretary-General Mohamed Ismail Khaled inspected the tombs during a brief visit to the site.
Khaled confirmed that all three tombs belong to the New Kingdom. Inscriptions found within the burial chambers enabled the initial identification of the tomb owners.
Moreover, Khaled highlighted the importance of completing the cleaning and documentation to reach a better understanding of the individuals buried in the tombs.
He also underscored the SCA’s commitment to scientific publication and the dissemination of archaeological knowledge.
The first tomb belongs to Amun-Em-Ipet, who served in a temple or estate dedicated to the god Amun during the Ramesside period.
Although many of the tomb’s decorations have been damaged, surviving scenes show offerings, funerary furniture processions, and a banquet.
The two other tombs date back to the early 18th Dynasty. One belongs to Baki, a supervisor of grain silos, and the other belongs to ES, who held multiple titles, including supervisor of the Temple of Amun in the oases, mayor of the northern oases, and scribe.
These individuals may have played crucial roles in ancient Egypt's religious and administrative machinery.
The tomb architecture further underscores the diversity and richness of New Kingdom burial practices.
Abdel-Ghaffar Wajdi, director general of Luxor antiquities and head of the excavation team, provided architectural descriptions of the tombs.
He said Amun-Em-Ipet’s tomb features a small courtyard, a square hall, and a niche, whose western wall was later breached to create an additional hall during a secondary use of the tomb.
Baki’s tomb is structured with a long corridor-like courtyard leading to a second courtyard, which opens into the main entrance. Inside is a transverse hall connected to a longitudinal hall ending in an unfinished chapel with a burial shaft.
ES’ tomb includes a small courtyard with a shaft, an entrance hall, and an unfinished sequence of transverse and longitudinal chambers.
“This latest find comes amid a broader revival in Egypt’s archaeological sector, where a series of discoveries continue to make headlines and inspire awe both locally and internationally," Khaled said.
"As excavation work and scholarly analysis continue, the newly discovered tombs promise to yield valuable information on the social, administrative, and religious landscape of ancient Egypt,” he concluded.
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