Tomb KV6 in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings is the final resting place of the 20th Dynasty Pharaoh Ramesses IX. However, the archaeological evidence and the quality of decoration indicate that the tomb was not finished in time for Ramesses’s death but was hastily rushed through to completion, with many corners being cut following his demise.
It is located in the central part of the Valley of the Kings. Its vast entrance stands between, and slightly above, those of two other fascinating tombs: KV5 and KV55. Running 105 metres into the hillside, the tomb begins with a gate and a shallow descending ramp. Following on from the ramp come three successive stretches of the corridor. The first has four side chambers – two on each side – but none is decorated or finished.
At the end of the corridors of Tomb KV6 come three chambers. The first of these is decorated with the Opening of the mouth ritual, and it is possible that a well-shaft would have been dug here had the builders been afforded more time. The second chamber contains four large columns, but the cutting and decoration work was completed. At the far end of this chamber, a ramp slopes down to the burial chamber, where the pharaoh’s sarcophagus was placed (the floor has a rectangular section carved out to accommodate it). The ceiling is vaulted and decorated with magnificent pictures of the goddess Nut. The side walls show scenes from the Book of Caverns and the Book of the Earth.
The far wall depicts Ramses on his barque, surrounded by a host of gods. The yellows, dark blues, and blacks used to decorate this chamber are visually striking and unusual among the tomb decorations in the Valley. While the coffin itself has long since vanished, Ramesses IX’s mummy was one of those found in the Deir el-Bahri cache (DB320) in 1881.
KV6 has been open since antiquity, as can be seen by the graffiti left on its walls by Roman and Coptic visitors.
