KV15 is the smallest and least decorated of the royal tombs currently open in the Valley of the Kings. The walls are partially unfinished — sketch outlines visible where carving and painting were never completed — and several side chambers were abandoned entirely before decoration began. This isn’t a failure of ambition; it’s a record of political reality. Seti II ruled for approximately six years during one of the 19th Dynasty’s most turbulent successions, and KV15 shows what happens to a pharaoh’s burial program when time and resources are running out.
For the right visitor — someone interested in the mechanics of tomb construction rather than its finished results — KV15 is one of the Valley’s most legible sites.
Who Was Seti II?
Seti II ruled from approximately 1200 to 1194 BCE. His full throne name, Userkheperure Setepenre, means “Powerful are the manifestations of Ra, Chosen of Ra” — the standard language of pharaonic legitimacy deployed at a time when that legitimacy was actively contested.
The challenge came from Amenmesse, a rival claimant who took control of Upper Egypt (including Thebes) for several years during Seti II’s reign. Amenmesse’s usurpation — and Seti II’s eventual reassertion of authority — is the political context behind KV15’s incomplete state: building programs at Thebes were disrupted, restarted, and compromised by the succession conflict.
Seti II was the son of Merneptah (KV8) and the grandson of Ramesses II. His wife Tausert built her own tomb at KV14 — the same tomb that was subsequently taken over by Setnakht, the founder of the 20th Dynasty. For the full story of that tomb, see Tomb of Tausert and Setnakht.
Architecture: Haste Made Visible
KV15 is modeled structurally on his father’s tomb (KV8) but significantly smaller in both length and ambition. The straight descending corridors and burial chamber are the standard late 19th Dynasty template; what distinguishes KV15 is how incomplete the execution is.
Visible evidence of the construction process at various stages:
- Red sketch outlines on uncut limestone — the first stage of tomb decoration, where the design was laid out freehand for carvers to follow
- Partially carved reliefs where carving began but painting was never applied
- Side chambers with bare walls — rooms that were cut into the rock but never decorated
For visitors, this makes KV15 one of the clearest demonstrations in Luxor of how a royal tomb was built — a sequence (cutting → sketching → carving → painting) that’s normally invisible because completed tombs show only the finished result.
Wall Decorations in the Completed Sections
In the sections that were decorated, the standard late New Kingdom religious program is present: the Book of Gates showing the sun’s twelve-hour night journey, the Amduat providing the underworld map, and images of protective deities accompanying the pharaoh. The artistic style is competent — this was painted by the Deir el-Medina craftsmen who painted every royal tomb of the period — but the limited sections that were completed give the tomb a spare, fragmentary character. For the funerary texts themselves, see The Egyptian Book of the Dead.
Burial History
The conventional understanding is that KV15 was Seti II’s primary and intended tomb. One scholarly hypothesis suggests his remains may have been temporarily held in KV14 (his wife Tausert’s tomb) during the disruption of the succession period before being returned to KV15 — but this remains debated.
Seti II’s mummy was later moved by priests to the KV35 cache (the Amenhotep II tomb) for protection, where it was discovered in 1898. It is now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. For the wider funerary context behind these reburials, see Funerals in Ancient Egypt.
Visiting KV15
KV15 is periodically closed for conservation work. Before making it a priority in your three-tomb selection, confirm its current access status at the Valley of the Kings ticket office.
| Entry | Standard Valley of the Kings ticket (EGP 750 adult / EGP 375 student — covers three tombs) |
|---|---|
| Hours | 6:00 AM – 5:00 PM (when open) |
| Time needed | 20–30 minutes |
| Physical access | The corridors are straight and less steep than some other royal tombs; the main challenge is low lighting in the unfinished sections |
Current access: KV15 opens and closes for conservation periodically. Ask at the ticket office whether it’s currently in the open rotation before purchasing your entry selection. For current ticket categories and site hours, see Luxor Entrance Fees.
Combining visits: KV15 is best understood alongside KV14 (Tausert — Seti II’s wife, the tomb that was subsequently taken over) and KV8 (Merneptah — his father). The three tombs together tell the late 19th Dynasty succession story coherently.