The Tomb Amun-her-khepeshef - Eldest son of Ramses 111 - In the Valley of the Queens

Leaving the ticket office I rode towards the Mortuary Temple of  Medinet Habu, jostling and bumping along like a rally driver over rough terrain I attempted to avoid all the pit holes  along the edge of the desert, to my right the black tarmac road  weaved its way towards the Valley of the Queens where it cut through the base of the Valley like a flowing river  and  arrived at the entrances of the tombs of the two young sons Amun-her-khepeshef and Khamwese that Ramses 111 had adored and is shown to escort them through the perils and gates of the underworld himself. The ancient Egyptians gave the Valley of the Queens the name Set Neferu, meaning ' Seat of Beauty', it was also known as Ta-Set-Neferu, meaning 'The Place of the Children of the Pharaoh'. The tomb of Prince Amun-her-khepeshef was discovered in 1903

Amun-her-khepeshef was the eldest son and appointed heir of the pharaoh Ramses 111, his son by the Great Royal Wife Tyti. He was named after a son of Ramses the Great, he died at the age of 15 and was buried in a beautifully vibrant tomb in the Valley of the Queens. Amun-her-khepeshef held the titles of Royal Scribe, Cavalry Commander, Royal Fan Bearer and the Superior of the Two Lands. It was considered that a person held a very high rank as a Fan Bearer as they walked directly behind the King and were the closest to his royal presence

On the East wall of the first courtyard at Medinet Habu Ramses rides back from the battle with the Sea People triumphant in his war chariot, Amun - her- khepeshef and Khamwese his sons proudly walk behind his chariot.

Ramses must have loved his son greatly as he buried him in a stunningly colourful and beautifully decorated tomb, it is one of the most popular tombs in the Valley of the Queens. His mother was so distressed by his death that she miscarried a baby, and the small foetus is now in a glass display case at the end of the tomb