The tomb of eight ‘royal wb3s’ are known in the Theban necropolis, all of them are
dated to the 18" dynasty between the reign of Thutmose II and Akhenaten: three of
them are located at Sheikh Abd el-Qurna — two of which are neighbours in the lower
enclosure (TT 110 of Djehuti (I) and TT 22 of Wah from the reign of Hatshepsut —
Amenhotep II) —, three other tombs were constructed at Khokha — two of which are
also neighbours (TT 205 of Djehutimes and TT 238 of Neferweben from the reign of
Thutmose III — Amenhotep II) —, and two more tombs are situated at Dra Abu el-Naga
and at Asasif respectively. Their architectural design represents a variety of forms and
solutions from the one-roomed tomb (TT 24, TT 205, TT 238) through the usual
T-shaped construction occasionally added to a two-pillared hall (TT 22, TT 92, TT 110,
TT 172) to the structure that consisted of a large six-pillared transverse hall in front
of the axial corridor (TT 188). In spite of their simpler or more elaborate architectural
characteristics, however, the quality and design of the wall decoration of the interior
of the tombs explicitly demonstrate the prestigious status of their owners in the royal
court as well as in society.
In addition, eight tombs of officials are known in the Memphite necropolis, seven
in Saqqara and one in Dahshur. Two tombs are situated at the Bubasteion from a very
different period, that of Seth (1.13) from the reign of Amenhotep III — Akhenaten and
that of Paenrenenutet (1.21) from the reign of Merneptah. Being rock-cut tombs their
structure remained fully intact, although masonry had to be applied in their interior
even during ancient times to stabilize their structure preventing collapse because of
the poor quality of the rock. Regrettably, due to this masonry, only a small part of their
wall decoration is accessible. The tomb of Seth consists of three rooms, one opening
from the other while the sepulchre of Paenrenenutet has only one room with remains
of a free standing superstructure in front of it, which difference might be traced back
to the distinct customs of construction of burial places under each period. The tombs
of Ptahemwia (1) and Ipay, in the cemetery south of the Unas causeway and in Dahshur
respectively, from the reign of Akhenaten and Tutankhamun show a similar layout
in accordance with the characteristic memorial temple-like free standing tomb super¬
structures of the period in the Memphite necropolis mainly consisting of a peristyle
court with a central and two side chapels at the end. The burial place of Heqamaatrene¬
heh in the cemetery around the Teti pyramid might also once have had such plan but
in a somewhat smaller scale, however, only the lower parts of its central and one of its
side chapel have remained. Three more tombs from the reign of Ramesses II (ST 5 of
Tjai Ta, ST 105 of Ianefer and ST 201 of Suner) are located in the cemetery south of