Thebes - Royal and Princely Tombs of El-Tarif

To the north of the Mortuary Temple of Sethos I are the royal and princely tombs of El-Tarif (11th Dynasty). These are very large structures with courts up to 330yd/300m long and 66yd/60m wide hewn from the rock. The row of simulated pillars along their rear facades has led them to be called saff tombs (from Arabic saff, "row"). The rooms in the interior are small and the decoration (where it has been preserved) modest. The best preserved are the tombs of Kings Antef I, II and III.