King Mereneptah was the 11th son of King Ramses II and Queen Isis-Nofret. He was an old man and he ascended the throne after the long rule of his father.
He ruled for only about ten years, but his tomb was completed before his death and only the rearmost chambers beyond the burial chamber were left undecorated and roughly cut.
The Tomb of Merneptah is the second largest one in the Valley of the Kings, exceeded only by Tomb KV 5. It occupies 2472 cubic meters (87,300 cubic feet). It was not until 1903 that the rear half of the tomb was excavated; and the Burial Chamber was not excavated until 1987.
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