The earliest rock-cut tombs in all of Thebes aren’t in the famous valleys — they’re on a small hillock called El-Khokha, cut by provincial rulers during the First Intermediate Period for reasons nobody has ever quite explained.
Where El-Khokha Sits
El-Khokha is a small hill and an adjoining valley that separates El-Asasif to the north from Sheikh Abd el-Qurna to the south. Its position next to the causeways leading up to the mortuary temples of Deir el-Bahri seems to explain much of its popularity, especially with middle-ranking officials of the New Kingdom. Proximity to the funerary temple of Thutmose III helped too, as did one of the two access roads to Sheikh Abd el-Qurna, which runs along El-Khokha’s southern slope — as throughout the necropolis, easy access to the processional roads mattered as much as anything when choosing where to build.
The Oldest Tombs in Thebes
El-Khokha, along with the northern part of Dra’ Abu el-Naga, is one of the most intensively occupied parts of the entire Theban Necropolis, and its earliest rock-cut tombs are the oldest at Thebes. By the end of the Old Kingdom and into the First Intermediate Period, the hill carried enough prestige that even nomarchs — provincial governors, not local officials — chose to build their tombs here, though why this particular hillock earned that status is still unknown. Four decorated tombs from this period are officially recorded, and there are likely several more undecorated, unexcavated ones from the same era or the early Middle Kingdom still waiting to be found.
A New Kingdom Cemetery for the Middle Ranks
Most of El-Khokha’s tombs date to the New Kingdom, split between the 18th Dynasty and the Ramesside period (19th–20th Dynasties). A survey by Friederike Kampp in 1989–1990 found far more undecorated or lightly decorated tombs than had previously been recorded, and her sketch maps show just how densely the hillside was once occupied. The Late Period, by contrast, is barely represented here at all — only two tombs, one usurped from an earlier Ramesside owner and the other currently inaccessible.
Visiting El-Khokha Today
El-Khokha sits within the general Tombs of the Nobles ticketing area, alongside Sheikh Abd el-Qurna and the Ramesseum, and it’s an easy stop to fold into a west-bank afternoon rather than a destination on its own. TT49, the tomb of Neferhotep, Chief Scribe of Amun under the late 18th Dynasty (reign of Ay), is the tomb most reliably open to visitors here and worth the short walk from the main path. See our Tombs of the Nobles guide for ticket, timing, and photography details that apply across the noble cemeteries. El-Khokha’s newest addition is a father-and-son pair of tombs just opened to the public in May 2026 — see our guide to the tombs of Amenhotep Rebiu and Samut (TT416, TT417) for the full story.
The Tombs of El-Khokha
The most important tombs at El-Khokha, listed by number (TT = Theban Tomb):
| Tomb | Owner | Title | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| TT39 | Puimre | Second Prophet of Amun | Reign of Hatshepsut |
| TT48 | Amenemhat (Surer) | Chief Steward | Reign of Amenhotep III |
| TT49 | Neferhotep | Chief Scribe of Amun | Late 18th Dynasty (Reign of Ay) |
| TT172 | Mentiywiy | Royal Butler, Child of the Nursery | Thutmose III–Amenhotep II |
| TT173 | Khay | Scribe of Divine Offerings of the Gods of Thebes | 19th Dynasty |
| TT174 | Ashakhet | Priest in Front of Mut | 20th Dynasty |
| TT175 | Unknown | — | 18th Dynasty |
| TT176 | Userhet | Servant of Amun | 18th Dynasty |
| TT177 | Amenemopet | Scribe of Truth in the Ramesseum, Estate of Amun | Reign of Ramesses II |
| TT178 | Kenro (Neferrenpet) | Scribe of the Treasury in the Amun-Ra Domain | Reign of Ramesses II |
| TT179 | Nebamon | Scribe, Counter of Grain in the Granary of Divine Offerings of Amun | Reign of Hatshepsut |
| TT180 | Unknown | — | 19th Dynasty |
| TT181 | Ipuky and Nebamon | Sculptor of Pharaoh; Head Sculptor of Pharaoh | Late 18th Dynasty |
| TT182 | Amenemhat | Scribe of the Mat | Reign of Thutmose III |
| TT183 | Nebsumenu | Chief Steward, Steward in the House of Ramesses II | Reign of Ramesses II |
| TT184 | Nefermenu | Mayor of Thebes, Royal Scribe | Reign of Ramesses II |
| TT185 | Senioker | Treasurer of the God, Hereditary Prince | First Intermediate Period |
| TT186 | Ihy | Governor | First Intermediate Period |
| TT187 | Pakhihet | Wab-priest of Amun | 20th Dynasty |
| TT198 | Riya | Head of the Magazine of Amun in Karnak | Ramesside Period |
| TT199 | Amenarnefru | Overseer of the Store-Rooms | 18th Dynasty |
| TT200 | Dedi | Governor of the Deserts West of Thebes, Head of Pharaoh’s Troops | Thutmose III–Amenhotep II |
| TT201 | Re | First Herald of the King | 18th Dynasty |
| TT202 | Nakhtamun | Prophet of Ptah, Priest in Front of Amun | 19th Dynasty |
| TT203 | Wennefer | Divine Father of Mut | Reign of Ramesses II, 19th Dynasty |
| TT204 | Nebanensu | Sailor of the High Priest of Amun | 18th Dynasty |
| TT205 | Tutmosis | Royal Butler | 18th Dynasty |
| TT206 | Ipuemheb | Scribe of the Place of Truth | Ramesside Period |
| TT207 | Horemheb | Scribe of Divine Offerings of Amun | Ramesside Period |
| TT208 | Roma | Divine Father of Amun-Ra | Ramesside Period |
| TT209 | Seremhatrekhyt | Hereditary Prince, Sole Beloved Friend | Late Period (Saite) |
| TT238 | Neferweben | Royal Butler | 18th Dynasty |
| TT245 | Hori | Scribe, Overseer of the Estate of the Great Royal Wife | 18th Dynasty |
| TT246 | Senenre | Scribe | 18th Dynasty |
| TT247 | Samut | Scribe, Counter of Cattle of Amun | 18th Dynasty |
| TT248 | Tutmosis | Maker of Offerings of Thutmose III | 18th Dynasty |
| TT253 | Khnummose | — | Reign of Amenhotep III |
| TT254 | Mose (Amenmose) | — | Late 18th Dynasty |
| TT256 | Nebenkemet | — | — |
| TT257 | Mahu (Neferhotep) | — | — |
| TT258 | Menkheper | — | — |
| TT264 | Ipiy | — | — |
| TT294 | Amenhotep (usurped by Roma) | — | Reign of Amenhotep II |
| TT295 | Paroy (Tuhmosis) | — | — |
| TT296 | Nefersekheru (Pabasa) | — | — |
| TT362 | Paanemwaset | Priest of Amun | 19th Dynasty |
| TT363 | Paraemheb | Overseer of Singers of Amun | 19th Dynasty |
| TT365 | Nefermenu | Overseer of Wig-Makers of Amun in Karnak, Scribe of the Treasury of Amun | — |
| TT369 | Khaemwaset | High Priest of Ptah, Third Priest of Amun | 19th Dynasty |
| TT370 | Unknown | Royal Scribe | Ramesside Period |
| TT371 | Unknown | — | Ramesside Period |
| TT372 | Amenkhau | Overseer of Carpenters of the Temple of Ramesses III | 20th Dynasty |
| TT373 | Amenmessu | Scribe of the Altar of the Lord of the Two Lands | — |
| TT374 | Amenemopet | Treasury Scribe in the Ramesseum | — |
| TT405 | Khenti | Nomarch | First Intermediate Period |
| B1 | Mehehy | Priest of Amun (location lost) | Ramesside Period |
| B2 | Amenneferu | Priest (location lost) | Mid-18th Dynasty |
| B3 | Hauf | (location lost) | Late Period |
