Theban Tomb 136

Theban Tomb 136 is situated in the area of Lower Sheikh ʿAbd el-Qurna, immediately adjacent to tomb -529- and to Theban Tomb 137. In December 2025 we started work at Theban Tomb 136, tomb - 529-, and Theban Tomb 137. These tombs were until recently hidden under modern houses, which were built on top and in front of many of the tombs at Qurna. Between 2006 and 2010, the houses at Qurna were demolished as part of a countrywide policy of removing modern buildings from archaeological sites, and the inhabitants were relocated to new villages. As a result of the demolition the houses, the tombs are now surrounded by high heaps of debris and the remains of partially demolished buildings.

So far, not much is known about Theban Tomb 136. According to Porter and Moss, the tomb dates to the 19th Dynasty, and the unidentified tomb owner was "royal scribe ... of the Lord of the Two Lands". Kampp follows Porter and Moss and adds that Theban Tomb 136 could perhaps be a reused 18th Dynasty tomb. Grimm and Schlögl propose to date the tomb to the early reign of Akhenaten and speculate that the tomb may have belonged to the "high steward, royal scribe of the Lord of the Two Lands, steward of Memphis and overseer of the great harem" Ipy, who is the owner of Tomb 10 at Amarna and who is thought to have been buried at Saqqara. Grimm and Schlögl's proposed dating of Theban Tomb 136 and their proposed identification of the tomb owner are highly speculative, and we have so far not found the owners name and titles in this tomb, nor have we found any other evidence to support their hypothesis.

Our first investigation of Theban Tomb 136 shows that this is a large inverted T-shaped tomb, consisting of a transverse hall comprising four Osiris pillars, and a longitudinal hall leading to a final room with a niche. The walls and ceiling of the tomb are covered in a layer of black soot as a result of the modern habitation. The only decoration that is immediately visible is located on the reveals of the doorway giving access to the tomb, and consists of the remains of a relief showing the deceased standing in adoration and several columns of hieroglypic inscriptions. Due to their fragmentary state of preservation and the fact that they are partially covered in modern plaster, the texts are currently difficult to read. The text on the left reveal consists of the remains of a hymn to the sun, and the text on the right reveal is currently too fragmentary to be read. As part of our next fieldwork seson in Theban Tomb 136, our conservator will remove the modern plaster from the facade and the doorway. This will expose the remaining relief decoration, potentially enabling us to read more of the inscriptions and to identify the tomb owner.

As part of our first investigation of Theban Tomb 136, we also examined the sooted walls and ceiling. In the transverse hall, the walls and ceiling are clearly plastered under the soot, and closer examination allowed us to conclude that in fact, the entire transverse hall was originally decorated with painted plaster. The walls and ceiling of the remaining parts of the tomb were undecorated. As part of our future work in Theban Tomb 136, we aim to remove the soot from the walls and ceiling of the transverse hall, which will expose the original painted decoration, and which will potentially enable us to identify the tomb owner.

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View on the entrance area of Theban Tomb 136 (left), tomb -529 (center), and Theban Tomb 137 (right) during our first investigation in December 2025.

The longitudinal hall of Theban Tomb 136.