Rameses the fifth started the construction of KV 9, cutting from the entrance through chamber E.
Rameses the sixth finished the excavation of the tomb, decorating the new sections with his own name and image, and usurping representations and cartouches of Rameses V in the first five corridors.

It is not known whether Rameses VI removed the body of Rameses V, or if the two kings shared the tomb. KV 9 has been open since antiquity.

Papyrus Mayer B records thefts in KV 9, and a graffiti dated to regnal year 9 of Rameses IX on the ceiling of the burial chamber J may refer to the inspection of the tomb after it was reported robbed.

KV 9 is located off the main valley and consists of an entryway ramp, three entrance corridors followed by a small chamber, a pillared chamber with central descent, two lower corridors, another chamber, a vaulted burial chamber, and another chamber at the rear.

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 Tomb decorations 
The tomb is decorated in painted, sunk relief with scenes from various books and other representations

Book of Gates
( corridor B, corridor C, corridor D, well chamber E, pillared chamber F, chamber K )

Book of Caverns
( corridor B, corridor C, corridor D, well chamber E, pillared chamber F, )

Book of the Heavenly Cow
( corridor D )

Book of the Dead
( chamber I )

Amduat
( descent F, corridor G, corridor H )

Book of the Day
( corridor D, corridor G, pillared chamber F, burial chamber J, )

Book of the Night
( corridor D, corridor G, pillared chamber F, burial chamber J, )

Book of the Earth
( burial chamber J, )

Astronomical scenes
( corridor B, corridor C )

the resurrection of Osiris
( chamber I )

deities
( descent F, chamber K )

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 Graffiti 
Nearly a thousand graffiti in Greek, Latin, and Coptic are written over the scenes. The jambs of gate B through gate F were originally inscribed for Rameses V but were re-carved by Rameses VI. These areas and the remaining chambers were finally inscribed for Rameses VI.

When the lower corridors and chambers were being cut, workmen accidentally broke into the rear chamber of KV 12 which intersects with kv9 on a different level in the mountain.

 Noteworthy features 
There is a pit in the floor of burial chamber J, which was never finished. Pilasters in the rear wall of the burial chamber are unfinished pillar cuttings, and wide platforms represent the unfinished cutting of the central sunken floor. The tomb as a whole is decorated with a wide variety of texts and scenes.

Corridor B - the first shaded corridor in a tomb - according to the Cairo ostracon is also known as "The passage of Ra"  or "the passage of the sun" 

it is preceded by the open air passage leading to the tomb entrance gate which is called "The God's Passage of the Empty/Open Path", sometimes translated as "the god's passage of the way of Shu"  or more accurately, "the open air passage" (literally "the god's passage of the empty/open path"), this term on the Cairo ostracon corresponds to entryway A.

When this phrase was used in the Rameside period, the entryway was a ramp cut into the hillside, open to the sky, and leading to the first gate.

Entryway A and its sloping sides are visible through the metal gate installed by the antiquity for protection.
unfortunately we don't have a panorama shot there at this time .. but we are working on it :)

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Corridor B or "the passage of Ra" has a gently sloping floor that ends in a shallow ramp leading into the next gateway.
The left (south) wall contains two scenes: Rameses VI (originally Rameses V) before Ra-Horakhty, and Osiris, followed by the initial scene and three registers of the first division (first and second hours) and the second division (third hour) of the Book of Gates.

On the right (north) wall, Rameses VI offers incense to Ra-Horakhty and Osiris followed by five registers of the first division of the Book of Caverns.

The corridor also has an astronomical ceiling. Its walls are covered with graffiti.

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 The Book of Gates 
is an Ancient Egyptian funerary text dating from the new kingdom It narrates the passage of a newly deceased soul into the next world, corresponding to the journey of the sun through the underworld during the hours of the night. The soul is required to pass through a series of 'gates' at different stages in the journey.

 The Book of Caverns 
Describes the journey of the sun god Ra through the six caverns of the underworld, focusing on the interaction between the sun god and the inhabitants of the netherworld, including rewards for the righteous and punishments for the enemies of the worldly order, those who fail their judgment in the afterlife.

The Book of Caverns is one of the best sources of information about the Egyptian concept of hell

The second corridor C is sometimes called the "second god's passage"
The two recesses in corridor C are called "the niches in which the gods of the east and west rest"

This seems to indicate that figures of deities should be placed in them, although none have been found. However, figures representing some of the seventy-four forms of the sun god in the Litany of Ra were painted in these niches, beginning with KV 17 and continuing through KV 2.

for Kv9, which where we are now in, the recess in the left (south) wall contains part of the upper register of the third division (fourth hour) of the Book of Gates.
The lower part of the left wall contains three registers of the fifth division (sixth hour) of the Book of Gates.

The right (north) wall is decorated with the text of the second division and the beginning of the third division of the Book of Caverns.
The corridor has an astronomical ceiling showing circumpolar constellations and decans which where used to distinguish the hours of the night.

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 Distinctive features 
There are a pair of horizontal, rectangular recesses high in the walls. The corridor has a flat floor with a shallow ramp at its west end.

continuing to describe Corridor C if you look to your left just Beyond the recess, the upper part of the left wall contains the fourth division (fifth hour) of the Book of Gates in three registers, plus the fifth gate with the Judgement Hall of Osiris.

most of the lower registers on both walls are heavily damaged.

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 Decoration summery 
Astronomical scenes: circumpolar constellations and decans Ceiling.
Book of Caverns: second division, beginning of third division Right (north) wall.
Book of Gates: third, fourth and fifth divisions (fourth, fifth and sixth hours) Left (south) wall.

The left (south) wall contains the sixth division (seventh hour) and seventh division (sixth hour) of the Book of Gates, while the recess in the third register is inscribed with an excerpt of the Book of the Heavenly Cow.

The right (east) half of the right (north) wall is decorated in the upper part with the introductory text to the fifth division of the Book of Caverns and in the lower part with the fourth division in three registers. The recess in the third register is decorated with the texts of the fifth division of the book of Caverns.

The ceiling depicts the legs and part of the elongated figure of Nut bending over two registers containing the beginning of the Book of the Day and the end of the Book of the Night.  The book of Night 
is a description of the sun god "Ra" journey through the heavens wherein he is swallowed by the sky goddess "Nut" in the evening and reborn in the morning.

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 Decoration summery 

Book of Caverns: third, fourth and beginning of fifth divisions Right (north) wall
Book of Gates: sixth and seventh divisions (seventh and eighth hours) Left (south) wall
Book of the Day: text enclosed by a large elongated figure of Nut Ceiling
Book of the Heavenly Cow: excerpts Left (south) recess
Book of the Night: text enclosed by a large elongated figure of Nut Ceiling

This is where ramesses the sixth took over the tomb and continued the excavation, shaping the tomb to its current state.

The name corresponds to chamber/well chamber E, although at the time this term was used in the Turin plan and the Cairo ostracon, well shafts were no longer being cut into the floors of these chambers.
The name has been interpreted to mean hindering access when applied to the actual shaft excavated in the floor of this chamber.

No well shaft was cut into the floor in kv9, although the depth of the floor in the central part is lower than the sides.  Theories about the shaft 

The shaft has been suggested to be intended either to deter tomb robbers or to collect floodwaters that might enter the tomb.

Since the integrity of the tombs depended on the remoteness and guarded condition of the Valley, thwarting tomb robbers is not a convincing argument for the shaft's purpose.
The latter purpose seems unlikely too, as the tomb entrances were sealed and covered.

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Another theory is that the shaft represented the burial place of the Memphite necropolis god Sokar, also identified with Osiris.
because in Rameside period royal tombs, the decoration on the walls of Corridor D preceding the well shaft, depicts the fourth and fifth hours of the Amduat, describing the sun god Ra's passage over the burial place of Sokar. however, that is not the case in KV9.

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The left (south) half of the chamber contains the eighth division (ninth hour) and ninth division (tenth hour) of the Book of Gates.
The right (north) half of the chamber contains the fifth division of the Book of Caverns.
The ceiling continues the Books of the Day and the Night.

See, now things will get more and more interesting visually as we go deeper into the the tomb.

 "The Chariot Hall"  was the name given to pillared chamber F.

What particular association it had with chariots is not known, although in most royal tombs this chamber could have accommodated chariots, especially if they were partly dismantled, as was done in KV 62 which belonged to the young famous pharaoh Tutankhamun.

Evidence of actual chariots is known from some tombs, including KV 22, KV 43, and KV 46, although none were localized in this chamber, because of the activities of tomb robbers.

On the Cairo ostracon, this chamber's name is partly preserved as "the hall treasury".

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A central descent divides the chamber in half, and is flanked by four pillars, two on each side.

The left (south) wall of the chamber is decorated with the tenth division (eleventh hour), eleventh division (twelfth hour), and twelfth division (closing scene) of the Book of Gates.

Three registers on the right (north) wall and pillar 4 feature the sixth division of the Book of Caverns.

At the center of the rear (west) wall, above the descent, is a double scene of Rameses VI censing and libating before Osiris and note how the sunlight form the tomb entrance is hitting this particular piece at all times.

The reliefs on the pillars show Rameses VI before Khonsu, Amun-Ra, Meretseger, Ptah-Sokar-Osiris, Ra-Horakhty, Ptah, and Thoth.

The ceiling in the central portion shows the head and arms of Nut above the end of the Book of the Day and the beginning of the Book of the Night.

There are astronomical figures including constellations and decans, star clocks and decan lists on the ceilings of the side portions of the chamber.

The left (south) wall of the sloping descent shows "Nekhbet" as a winged cobra wearing the red and white crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt.

Beyond it is the beginning of the first hour of the  Amduat  with "Neit" as a winged cobra below it.
( Neit is a bit obstructed by the wooden handrail of the passage).

On the opposite wall, "Meretseger" is depicted as a serpent wearing the red crown, with the beginning of the sixth hour of the Amduat and "Serqet" as a winged cobra below.

The overhang:
Three vultures with outspread wings that alternate with text bands giving the names of Rameses VI, are painted on the underside of the overhang.
sadly it is damaged although their vibrant colors still apparent in the intact parts, more vultures coming up front, watch the ceiling more carefully from here forward.

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 Decoration summery 
Deities: Nekhbet as winged cobra wearing red and white crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt (before overhang), "Neit" as winged cobra (beneath overhang) Left (south) wall.
Deities: "Meretseger" as winged cobra wearing red crown (before overhang), "Serqet" as winged cobra (beneath overhang) Right (north) wall.
Flying vultures Overhang
Amduat: first hour Left (south) wall.
Amduat: sixth hour Right (north) wall.  The Amduat  or The Imydwat:
Is an ancient text dates back to the beginning of the new kingdom and it literally means  "That Which is in the Afterworld"  and it's a new title for an even more ancient royal text that is known as the "text of secret/hidden chamber" and its main purpose is to introduce the deceased to the names of the gods and enemies who inhabits the underworld and prepare him to meet them in each hour of the night.

The "Amduat" consists of twelve hours of the night which reflects the journey of the sun god "Ra" through the underworld.

The earliest complete version of the Amduat is found in KV34, the tomb of Thutmose the Third in the Valley of the Kings which we covered and will release soon.

Here we can get a better look at the vultures on the overhang and the Amduat first hour on the left (south) wall.

There is a winged sun disk on the lintel with the names of Rameses VI on the reveals and thicknesses, and the vultures on the soffit, they are there representing the goddess "Nekhbet" the protectress of upper Egypt.

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Continuing after the gate you can see the start of the second hour of the "Amduat" on the left (south) wall.
and the beginning of Sixth hour of the "Amduat" on the right (north) wall.

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 Decoration summery 

Flying vultures: Soffit
Names and epithets: Rameses VI Reveals
Names and epithets: Rameses VI Left (south) thickness
Names and epithets: Rameses VI Right (north) thickness
Winged sun disk: Lintel

The floor of this corridor is flat until near its west end, where a ramp descends through the next gate.
A pair of beam holes before the next gate may have been used to lower the sarcophagus into the burial chamber.

The upper part of the left (south) wall displays the first and second hours of the "Amduat", while the lower part displays the third hour.

The sixth and seventh hours and the beginning of the eighth hour of the "Amduat" are depicted in the reliefs on the right (north) wall.

One of the interesting reliefes found here is that of the corpse of  Kheperi  surrounded by a protective five-headed snake known as "Many Faces"

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 Little something about "Kheperi" 
Is a sun god, associated with the sunrise.
Because of his association with the sunrise he is considered to be one of the creator gods.
It was Khepri that pushed the sun across the sky in much the same fashion that a dung beetle (scarab) pushed a ball of dung across the ground.

here's a very brief list of ancient Egyptian deities for your reference.

Note that across the ancient Egyptian history a lot of these deities were merged together and combined with foreign deities which were introduced to Egyptian through immigrants from the surrounding areas. and through transitional periods where non-Egyptian dynasties ruled Egypt.

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Back to the Tomb:
The ceiling displays diagrams of the solar boat and its components.
Mummiform figures on biers form parts of enigmatic compositions like those on the ceiling of corridor D in KV 6.
Along the edges are excerpts from the Books of the Day and Night.
Graffiti are found throughout the corridor.

 Photographer Note: 

Hi there,
i hope you are enjoying your tour so far ..

just a quick note for you nitpickers out there:
shooting the inner section of this tomb happened in December 2013, while shooting the outter section up till the pano you are viewing now happened on May of 2015.

During the time of the second shooting, there was on going work inside of the tomb changing the lighting units and their wooden covers, workers were in the process of doing that when we started shooting, and there was no turning back at that point.

So you will notice lighting changes in the next panorama where you see the corridor ahead of you now is completely dark, it is perfectly lit in the next picture !

so don't worry you are perfectly okay :)

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enjoy the rest of the tour,
Have a great day/night

 Architectural Features 
Overhang (created to lower ceiling beyond to avoid KV 12 which intersects with Kv9)

The sloping floor of this corridor continues the ramp at the end of corridor G through the next gate.
As a result of accidentally breaking through the floor of KV 12, the builders of KV 9 lowered the floors and ceilings of the following corridors and gates.

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The left (south) wall shows scenes from the "Amduat", with the upper part containing the fourth hour and the lower part the fifth hour.

On the right (north) wall appears the eighth to eleventh hours of the "Amduat".

The ceiling contains enigmatic scenes with cryptographic texts showing the nocturnal journey of the sun god "Ra".

Halfway through chamber I, a ramp as wide as the next gate was cut in the flat floor.

Scenes on the left (south) wall include Rameses VI before "Heka", "the Book of the Dead", and Rameses VI facing gate J.

The right (north) wall shows Rameses VI adoring two square pools with baboons, adoring  "Ma'at"  and, facing gate J, with "the Book of the Dead" and a hymn to "Ma'at".

The ceiling shows the resurrection of "Osiris" and includes cryptographic texts, with Rameses VI in the barks of the Day and Night on the front section (east half)
and Osiris as a mummy on a couch in front of Horus on the rear section (west half).

Four rows of divinities line the outside of the scenes on both halves.

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 about Ma'at 
Ma'at is the ancient Egyptian concept of truth, balance, order, law, morality, and justice.

Ma'at was also personified as a goddess regulating the stars, seasons, and the actions of both mortals and the deities, who set the order of the universe from chaos at the moment of creation.

She is the goddess with the feather on her head, She represents the ultimate justice and order in the universe.
Every person is judged by her 42 laws, their heart is weighted against to her representation (the feather) on the scales in the judgment hall in the afterlife.

read more about Ma'at here :
The 42 laws of Ma'at
Elaboration on the concept of the Ma'at

Gate J has a compound jamb and a step down to the ramp which descends to the floor of burial chamber J.

A pair of door pivot holes are cut into the soffit at the tops of the corners of the inner and outer thicknesses.

Two horizontal recesses were cut into the edges of the floors of burial chamber J to receive the bottoms of the door leaves when they were fully opened.

There is a winged disk on the lintel with the names of Rameses VI on the outer thicknesses.

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The burial chamber is smaller than originally planned, The burial pit lies on the tomb's axis.

The burial chamber is known as  House of Gold Wherein One Rests 

If the tomb had been completed, the right (north) and left (south) sides of the lower floor level would have been extended, leaving only ledges for the upper floor level on the left and right sides of the chamber, instead of the wide surfaces now there.

The sides of the burial pit were roughly widened to accommodate a large, red granite sarcophagus box, now broken in two, with its foot half lying in the pit.

Four pillars flank the front (east) wall of the chamber with two on each side of the descent from the gate to the central lower level.

The first and fourth pillars were not completely cut away from the surrounding rock.

The pillars show Rameses VI with "Ma'at", "Ptah-Sokar", "Anubis", "Meretseger", "Osiris", and "Ptah". In the rear (west) wall, there are four pilasters, representing unfinished cuttings of pillars.

The left, right and rear walls and pilasters are decorated with texts from the Book of the Earth. Pilasters 2 and 3 are inscribed with the names of Rameses VI.

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The vaulted ceiling, which extends over the burial pit and the spaces to its west and east, is cut at a right angle to the tomb's axis.

The Sky goddess "Nut" is drawn twice separating the vaulted ceiling into two spaces (east and west).

The space to the east depicting the "Book of day" with red disks "the sun" inside the yellow body of Nut and a very dark blue background.
The book of Day holds names and epithets of Rameses the sixth. and a description of the sun god "Ra" journey through the heavens in the day time before he is swallowed by the sky goddess "Nut".

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The space to the west is depicting the "Book of night" with five points stars inside of Nut and a black background representing the night.
The book of Night is a description of the sun god "Ra" journey through the heavens wherein he is swallowed by the sky goddess "Nut" in the evening and reborn in the morning.   Conservation work  

The burial chamber in the tomb of Ramesses VI assumed its present look after the conservation project carried out there in the 2000s and directed by Ted Brock.

The sarcophagus box now displayed in the right-side part of the chamber was pieced together from hundreds of fragments shattered in antiquity and previously found in different parts of the tomb; it was decided to leave the gigantic outer stone box (in which the sarcophagus was originally placed) as it was - broken and displaced.

The current placement of the restored pieces is not the same as their original locations but It was a serious conservation and presentation issue of where and how to put the restored pieces (and what and how to restore in the first place) and the project director Ted Brock and other professionals involved gave it a very serious consideration before they settled on the current solution.

Finally, the mummy-like stone sarcophagus lid was put on display in the central niche in the back wall (not its original place.)
The head part of the lid has been in London since the early 19th century.
Displayed in the tomb is an exact replica.

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information about the conservation project was generously provided to us by Mr. Jaroslaw Dobrowolski from:
ARCHiNOS  A r c h i t e c t u r e

---

information about this very rich tomb is provided with a little help from our friends at The Theban Mapping Project , check out their amazing work documenting the valley and make sure you follow us for updates.

The burial chamber is smaller than originally planned, The burial pit lies on the tomb's axis.

The burial chamber is known as  House of Gold Wherein One Rests 

If the tomb had been completed, the right (north) and left (south) sides of the lower floor level would have been extended, leaving only ledges for the upper floor level on the left and right sides of the chamber, instead of the wide surfaces now there.

The sides of the burial pit were roughly widened to accommodate a large, red granite sarcophagus box, now broken in two, with its foot half lying in the pit.

Four pillars flank the front (east) wall of the chamber with two on each side of the descent from the gate to the central lower level.

The first and fourth pillars were not completely cut away from the surrounding rock.

The pillars show Rameses VI with "Ma'at", "Ptah-Sokar", "Anubis", "Meretseger", "Osiris", and "Ptah". In the rear (west) wall, there are four pilasters, representing unfinished cuttings of pillars.

The left, right and rear walls and pilasters are decorated with texts from the Book of the Earth. Pilasters 2 and 3 are inscribed with the names of Rameses VI.

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The vaulted ceiling, which extends over the burial pit and the spaces to its west and east, is cut at a right angle to the tomb's axis.

The Sky goddess "Nut" is drawn twice separating the vaulted ceiling into two spaces (east and west).

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The space to the east depicting the "Book of day" with red disks "the sun" inside the yellow body of Nut and a very dark blue background.
The book of Day holds names and epithets of Rameses the sixth. and a description of the sun god "Ra" journey through the heavens in the day time before he is swallowed by the sky goddess "Nut".

The space to the west is depicting the "Book of night" with five points stars inside of Nut and a black background representing the night.
The book of Night is a description of the sun god "Ra" journey through the heavens wherein he is swallowed by the sky goddess "Nut" in the evening and reborn in the morning.

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  Conservation work  

The burial chamber in the tomb of Ramesses VI assumed its present look after the conservation project carried out there in the 2000s and directed by Ted Brock.

The sarcophagus box now displayed in the right-side part of the chamber was pieced together from hundreds of fragments shattered in antiquity and previously found in different parts of the tomb; it was decided to leave the gigantic outer stone box (in which the sarcophagus was originally placed) as it was - broken and displaced.

The current placement of the restored pieces is not the same as their original locations but It was a serious conservation and presentation issue of where and how to put the restored pieces (and what and how to restore in the first place) and the project director Ted Brock and other professionals involved gave it a very serious consideration before they settled on the current solution.

Finally, the mummy-like stone sarcophagus lid was put on display in the central niche in the back wall (not its original place.)
The head part of the lid has been in London since the early 19th century.
Displayed in the tomb is an exact replica.

---

information about the conservation project was generously provided to us by Mr. Jaroslaw Dobrowolski from:
ARCHiNOS  A r c h i t e c t u r e

---

information about this very rich tomb is provided with a little help from our friends at The Theban Mapping Project , check out their amazing work documenting the valley and make sure you follow us for updates.

The burial chamber is smaller than originally planned, The burial pit lies on the tomb's axis.

The burial chamber is known as  House of Gold Wherein One Rests 

If the tomb had been completed, the right (north) and left (south) sides of the lower floor level would have been extended, leaving only ledges for the upper floor level on the left and right sides of the chamber, instead of the wide surfaces now there.

The sides of the burial pit were roughly widened to accommodate a large, red granite sarcophagus box, now broken in two, with its foot half lying in the pit.

Four pillars flank the front (east) wall of the chamber with two on each side of the descent from the gate to the central lower level.

The first and fourth pillars were not completely cut away from the surrounding rock.

The pillars show Rameses VI with "Ma'at", "Ptah-Sokar", "Anubis", "Meretseger", "Osiris", and "Ptah". In the rear (west) wall, there are four pilasters, representing unfinished cuttings of pillars.

The left, right and rear walls and pilasters are decorated with texts from the Book of the Earth. Pilasters 2 and 3 are inscribed with the names of Rameses VI.

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The vaulted ceiling, which extends over the burial pit and the spaces to its west and east, is cut at a right angle to the tomb's axis.

The Sky goddess "Nut" is drawn twice separating the vaulted ceiling into two spaces (east and west).

---

---

The space to the east depicting the "Book of day" with red disks "the sun" inside the yellow body of Nut and a very dark blue background.
The book of Day holds names and epithets of Rameses the sixth. and a description of the sun god "Ra" journey through the heavens in the day time before he is swallowed by the sky goddess "Nut".

The space to the west is depicting the "Book of night" with five points stars inside of Nut and a black background representing the night.
The book of Night is a description of the sun god "Ra" journey through the heavens wherein he is swallowed by the sky goddess "Nut" in the evening and reborn in the morning.

---

  Conservation work  

The burial chamber in the tomb of Ramesses VI assumed its present look after the conservation project carried out there in the 2000s and directed by Ted Brock.

The sarcophagus box now displayed in the right-side part of the chamber was pieced together from hundreds of fragments shattered in antiquity and previously found in different parts of the tomb; it was decided to leave the gigantic outer stone box (in which the sarcophagus was originally placed) as it was - broken and displaced.

The current placement of the restored pieces is not the same as their original locations but It was a serious conservation and presentation issue of where and how to put the restored pieces (and what and how to restore in the first place) and the project director Ted Brock and other professionals involved gave it a very serious consideration before they settled on the current solution.

Finally, the mummy-like stone sarcophagus lid was put on display in the central niche in the back wall (not its original place.)
The head part of the lid has been in London since the early 19th century.
Displayed in the tomb is an exact replica.

---

information about the conservation project was generously provided to us by Mr. Jaroslaw Dobrowolski from:
ARCHiNOS  A r c h i t e c t u r e

---

information about this very rich tomb is provided with a little help from our friends at The Theban Mapping Project , check out their amazing work documenting the valley and make sure you follow us for updates.

The burial chamber is smaller than originally planned, The burial pit lies on the tomb's axis.

The burial chamber is known as  House of Gold Wherein One Rests 

If the tomb had been completed, the right (north) and left (south) sides of the lower floor level would have been extended, leaving only ledges for the upper floor level on the left and right sides of the chamber, instead of the wide surfaces now there.

The sides of the burial pit were roughly widened to accommodate a large, red granite sarcophagus box, now broken in two, with its foot half lying in the pit.

Four pillars flank the front (east) wall of the chamber with two on each side of the descent from the gate to the central lower level.

The first and fourth pillars were not completely cut away from the surrounding rock.

The pillars show Rameses VI with "Ma'at", "Ptah-Sokar", "Anubis", "Meretseger", "Osiris", and "Ptah". In the rear (west) wall, there are four pilasters, representing unfinished cuttings of pillars.

The left, right and rear walls and pilasters are decorated with texts from the Book of the Earth. Pilasters 2 and 3 are inscribed with the names of Rameses VI.

---

The vaulted ceiling, which extends over the burial pit and the spaces to its west and east, is cut at a right angle to the tomb's axis.

The Sky goddess "Nut" is drawn twice separating the vaulted ceiling into two spaces (east and west).

---

---

The space to the east depicting the "Book of day" with red disks "the sun" inside the yellow body of Nut and a very dark blue background.
The book of Day holds names and epithets of Rameses the sixth. and a description of the sun god "Ra" journey through the heavens in the day time before he is swallowed by the sky goddess "Nut".

The space to the west is depicting the "Book of night" with five points stars inside of Nut and a black background representing the night.
The book of Night is a description of the sun god "Ra" journey through the heavens wherein he is swallowed by the sky goddess "Nut" in the evening and reborn in the morning.

---

  Conservation work  

The burial chamber in the tomb of Ramesses VI assumed its present look after the conservation project carried out there in the 2000s and directed by Ted Brock.

The sarcophagus box now displayed in the right-side part of the chamber was pieced together from hundreds of fragments shattered in antiquity and previously found in different parts of the tomb; it was decided to leave the gigantic outer stone box (in which the sarcophagus was originally placed) as it was - broken and displaced.

The current placement of the restored pieces is not the same as their original locations but It was a serious conservation and presentation issue of where and how to put the restored pieces (and what and how to restore in the first place) and the project director Ted Brock and other professionals involved gave it a very serious consideration before they settled on the current solution.

Finally, the mummy-like stone sarcophagus lid was put on display in the central niche in the back wall (not its original place.)
The head part of the lid has been in London since the early 19th century.
Displayed in the tomb is an exact replica.

---

information about the conservation project was generously provided to us by Mr. Jaroslaw Dobrowolski from:
ARCHiNOS  A r c h i t e c t u r e

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information about this very rich tomb is provided with a little help from our friends at The Theban Mapping Project , check out their amazing work documenting the valley and make sure you follow us for updates.