Tomb KV5
The treasures of Tutankhamun have been remembered as the greatest discovery in Egypt. However, in 1995, the Valley of the Kings revealed another magnificent secret - the tomb of at least 52 sons of Ramesses II.

The tomb named KV5 is located only 70 meters (230 ft) from the tomb of Tutankhamun. Its existence had been known about for over a century but its location remained elusive. The first person who tried to find it was James Burton, who excavated the area in the early 1830s. Howard Carter also made an attempt. The location of the tomb was finally identified during an expedition in 1985 -1986 led by Kent Weeks of the American University in Cairo and the Theban Mapping Project, which used sonar and ground-penetrating radar.

The first excavations began in 1987 and, after years of working, on May 18, 1995, Kent Weeks made a stunning announcement:
''Last February, excavating through the flood-borne debris that fills the tomb, my staff and I found a passageway leading past twenty chambers to a statue of the god Osiris. Two transverse corridors, each with another twenty chambers, extend beyond that. At the end of the corridors there are stairs and sloping corridors apparently leading to even more rooms on a lower level. The tomb could be the largest ever found in Egypt...''
Weeks was right, his team opened the largest tomb ever found in Egypt. The inscription on one of the well-preserved wall decorations contained the throne name of Ramesses II. Very soon the researchers discovered that what they were standing in was a sad monument of broken dreams. The tomb was visited by the pharaoh many times, each time for the same reason - the burial of his child.

The ashes of the magnificent burial

The tomb was damaged over the centuries by the flash floods and the thunderstorms in the Valley. It had also been looted in ancient times, most probably during the reign of Ramesses III. The remains of numerous mummies, which were discovered during the archeological works, were just a drop in the ocean of treasures buried in the chambers thousands of years ago. The architecture of the tomb is unique. It is similar to the style of the tombs of the late 18th dynasty, and it seems that the construction of KV5 started in this period. It is unknown who ordered such a magnificent tomb. One suggestion has been Amenhotep III, but there is no firm evidence for this theory.

Tomb KV5
© CC BY-SAIsometric, plan and elevation images of KV5 taken from a 3d model.
In the spring of 1995, the team of Egyptologists entered the T-shaped extension of the tomb, which goes to the east. The researchers were overwhelmed with the magnificence of the tomb. Although it was badly damaged, it stayed a beautiful example of the New Kingdom Period art. The rock cut image of the god Osiris located in the tomb still protected the burial of the people, who were a witness of a great period in the history of Egypt.

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