The discovery was made during the mission’s current excavation season by a team led by Carina van den Hoven, who has directed archaeological research at the site since 2018 in cooperation with the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA).
The newly discovered tomb is located to the east of Theban Tomb 45 (TT45), within an area that has been the focus of a long-term research project combining archaeological investigation with preventive conservation and risk management. The project also aims to produce the first comprehensive archaeological study of Lower Sheikh Abd El-Qurna.
Hisham El-Leithy, Secretary-General of the SCA, said that inscriptions inside the tomb identify its owner as a man named Paser. Based on the artistic style of its decoration, archaeologists believe that the monument dates to the Ramesside Period of the New Kingdom.
Research at the site is ongoing. Archaeologists hope to identify all individuals buried within the tomb, reconstruct their biographies, and better understand the monument’s place within the broader funerary landscape of the Theban Necropolis.
The study is expected to shed new light on the historical and cultural development of Lower Sheikh Abd El-Qurna and the relationships between its neighboring tombs.
Architecturally, the monument follows the characteristic layout of private New Kingdom Theban tombs. According to Mohamed Abdel Badie, Head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector, it comprises an open forecourt leading to a rock-cut chapel with the traditional inverted T-shaped plan, beneath which lie underground burial chambers.
Several architectural features have survived in remarkably good condition, including a mudbrick bench with a central niche intended for a funerary stela and a staircase bordered by sloping ramps leading to the entrance.
The tomb’s decorated walls preserve scenes bearing the name of Paser. Although portions of the painted decoration remain concealed beneath a thin layer of accumulated soil, visible scenes depict the tomb owner worshipping various deities inside shrines and seated with his wife before an offering table.
Carina van den Hoven said that the mission’s next phase will focus on structural stabilization, conservation, and the restoration of the painted decoration. She expressed optimism that continued work at the site would lead to further discoveries and contribute to a more complete understanding of one of the Theban Necropolis’ most important burial areas.
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