Most visitors who hear the name “El-Asasif” are picturing only one place. It’s actually two: a well-known northern valley packed with some of the largest private tombs ever built at Thebes, and a nearly forgotten southern counterpart that even most Egyptologists rarely mention. Only six tombs in the southern Asasif have ever been properly studied.
Two Valleys, One Name
Both parts of El-Asasif are plains marking the start of a valley running west into the cliffs. The northern Asasif — the one most guides mean when they say the name — sits east of Deir el-Bahri, between Dra’ Abu el-Naga and El-Khokha. The southern Asasif lies near the southern slope of Sheikh Abd el-Qurna, at the mouth of a valley leading to an unfinished royal tomb from the early Middle Kingdom. Architect and Egyptologist Dieter Eigner published the only detailed survey of the southern site’s plans and layout; of its tombs, just six date to the Late Period.
From Middle Kingdom Saff-Tombs to Royal Causeways
The northern Asasif’s history as a cemetery starts in the second half of the 11th Dynasty, when several saff-tombs — including those of Antef and Zar — were cut into the valley floor and its southern slope. That didn’t last: once King Nebhepetre Mentuhotep II began building his causeway and mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahri, private burials were pushed out of the plain entirely. Most Middle Kingdom tombs from then on were corridor-style graves cut higher up the hillsides ringing Deir el-Bahri, in what are now known as cemeteries 500, 600, and 800 — their layout carefully oriented toward the royal causeways below.
That orientation became a recurring theme. The tomb of Puiemre faces the causeways of both Hatshepsut and Thutmose III, even though it was cut on the northern slope of El-Khokha rather than in the Asasif plain proper — a placement close enough in spirit that it’s traditionally grouped with the Asasif tombs. The tomb of Parennefer, from the reigns of Amenhotep III and Akhenaten, follows the same logic. By the reign of Amenhotep III, the northern Asasif had become a fashionable place to be buried once again.
The Unfinished Temple-Tombs of Kheruef
In the Asasif plain itself, builders began experimenting with an entirely new kind of private tomb — one that looked more like a temple than a tomb-chapel, and one that was never actually finished. The tomb of Kheruef is the best example: an entry building leads down a ramp to a sunken, colonnaded courtyard, which opens onto an expanded inner hall and a long sloping passage down to the burial chamber.
By the reign of Ramesses II, several smaller tombs — mostly belonging to mid-ranking staff of the Temple of Amun at Karnak — had been cut into the walls and colonnades of these older 18th Dynasty tombs. By the start of the 21st Dynasty, the rock-cut tombs were being reused again, this time for simple burials with little more than a sarcophagus.
The Late Period Revival: Funerary Palaces of the Amun Priesthood
El-Asasif’s final great era came during the Late Period, when the high priests of Amun and the stewards of the Divine Votaresses (God’s Wives of Amun) began building enormous funerary palaces here. As Manfred Bietak documented in his publication of the Ankh-Hor tomb, many of these structures are oriented by their main pylons toward the bark shrines along Hatshepsut’s causeway, with smaller pylons framing the main entrances at right angles to it. Dieter Eigner later produced a full analysis of the Late Period tombs, along with a detailed map of the area.
Visiting El-Asasif Today
Unlike Sheikh Abd el-Qurna or the Valley of the Kings, El-Asasif isn’t part of the main tourist circuit — which is exactly why some visitors like it. The two tombs generally open to the public, TT192 (Kheruef) and TT414 (Ankh-hor), are covered by a single joint ticket and sit right beside the parking area for Hatshepsut’s temple at Deir el-Bahri, making them an easy add-on to a visit there. Finding the entrances can take a bit of asking around — they’re guarded rather than signposted, so look for the site guardians’ hut on the hillside. Bring a small flashlight, since some chambers are dim. Pair the visit with Deir el-Bahri, since you’ll already be at the ticket office for both — see our Tombs of the Nobles guide for general timing and photography guidance.
Recent Discoveries at El-Asasif
In October 2019, Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities announced a cache of more than 20 sealed wooden coffins found at El-Asasif, reportedly still arranged as the ancient embalmers had left them. More recently, in 2026, archaeologists working in the necropolis uncovered a rock-cut chamber holding 22 painted coffins believed to belong to “Singers of Amun,” along with sealed papyri — one of the more significant Theban finds of the past few years, and a reminder that this quiet corner of the necropolis is still actively being excavated.
The Tombs of El-Asasif
The most significant tombs at El-Asasif, listed by number (TT = Theban Tomb):
| Tomb | Owner | Title | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| TT25 | Amenemheb | High Priest of Khons | Reign of Ramesses II |
| TT26 | Khnumemheb | Overseer of the Treasury of the Ramesseum | Reign of Ramesses II |
| TT27 | Sheshonq | High Steward of the Divine Adoratrix Ankhnesneferibre | Reign of Apries–Amasis |
| TT28 | Hori | Amun temple official | 20th Dynasty |
| TT29 | Pairi (Amenemopet) | Governor of the Town, Vizier | Reign of Amenhotep II |
| TT32 | Tutmosis | High Steward of the Amun Temple, Overseer of the Granaries of Upper and Lower Egypt | Reign of Ramesses II |
| TT33 | Pediamenopet | Chief Lector Priest | Late Period |
| TT34 | Mentuemhet | 4th Prophet of Amun, Mayor of Thebes, Governor of Upper Egypt | Reign of Taharqa–Psamtik I |
| TT36 | Ibi | Chief Steward of the Divine Adoratrix | Reign of Psamtik I |
| TT37 | Harwa | Chief Steward of the God’s Wife Amenardis I | 25th Dynasty |
| TT47 | Userhet | Overseer of Private Rooms of the King | Reign of Amenhotep III |
| TT189 | Nakhtdjehuty | Chief of Carpenters and Goldworkers in the Amun Domain | Reign of Ramesses II |
| TT190 | Nesibanebdjed | Divine Father, Prophet at the Head of the King | Late Period |
| TT191 | Wehebrenebpehti | Chamberlain of the Divine Adoratrix, Director of the Festival | Reign of Psamtik I |
| TT192 | Kheruef | Overseer of the Estate of the Great Royal Wife Tiye | Reign of Amenhotep III–Akhenaten |
| TT193 | Ptahemheb | Official of the Seal in the Treasury of the Amun Domain | 19th–20th Dynasty |
| TT194 | Tutemheb | Scribe in the Temple of Amun | Reign of Ramesses II |
| TT195 | Bakenamon | Scribe of the Treasury of the Amun Domain | 20th Dynasty |
| TT196 | Padihorresnet | Chief Steward of Amun | Late Period |
| TT197 | Padineith | Chief Steward of the God’s Wife of Amun, Ankhnesneferibre | Reign of Psamtik II |
| TT223 | Karakhamun | First Priest of Amun | 25th Dynasty (Shabaka–Shabataka) |
| TT240 | Meru | Overseer of Sealers | Reign of Mentuhotep-Nebhepetre |
| TT242 | Wehebre | Chamberlain of the God’s Wife of Amun, Ankhnesneferibre | Late Period |
| TT243 | Pemu (Pahi) | Mayor of Thebes | Saite Period |
| TT244 | Pakharu | Overseer of Carpenters of the Amun Domain | 20th Dynasty |
| TT279 | Pabasa | Grand Chamberlain to Nitocris, God’s Wife of Amun | Late Period |
| TT297 | Amenemopet (Djehutynefer) | Scribe, Counter of Grain of Amun, Overseer of the Fields | 18th Dynasty |
| TT364 | Amenemheb | Scribe of Divine Offerings of All the Divinities of Thebes | 19th–20th Dynasty |
| TT366 | Djar | King’s Guard of the Inner Palace | Reign of Mentuhotep-Nebhepetre |
| TT386 | Intef | Chancellor of the King of Lower Egypt, Overseer of Soldiers | Middle Kingdom |
| TT387 | Meryptah | Royal Scribe of the Altar of the Lord of the Two Lands | Reign of Ramesses II |
| TT388 | Unknown | — | Late Period |
| TT389 | Basa | Smati-Priest, Chamberlain of Min, Mayor of Thebes | Late Period |
| TT390 | Irterau | Female scribe, Chief attendant of the Divine Adoratrix Nitocris | Reign of Psamtik I |
| TT391 | Karabasken | Mayor of Thebes, 4th Priest of Amun | 25th Dynasty (Shabaka–Shabataka) |
| TT404 | Akhamenerau | Chief Steward of the Divine Adoratrix | Reign of Amenardis I–Shepenwepet II |
| TT406 | Piay | Scribe of the Altar of the Lord of the Two Lands | 20th Dynasty |
| TT407 | Bentenduanetjer | Chamberlain of the Divine Adoratrix | Late Period |
| TT408 | Bakenamon | Head of Estate-Workers of the Amun Domain | 20th Dynasty |
| TT409 | Samut (Kiki) | Accountant of Cattle of the Amun Domain | Reign of Ramesses II |
| TT410 | Mutirdais | Chief Follower of the God’s Priestess | Late Period |
| TT411 | Psamtiek | — | Late Period |
| TT412 | Kenamon | King’s Scribe | Reign of Hatshepsut–Thutmose III |
| TT413 | Unasankh | Overseer of Upper Egypt, Overseer of the Double Granary, Nomarch | Late Old Kingdom |
| TT414 | Ankhhor | Mayor of Memphis, Oxyrhynchus and Bahriya Oasis; High Steward of the God’s Priestess | Reign of Nitocris |
| TT415 | Amenhotep | Chief Physician of Amun | Reign of Ramesses III |
