Located in the West Valley of the Kings, KV 22 was first discovered by Europeans in 1799 when French engineers Jollis and Devilliers explored the tomb. They found that it had already been looted by grave robbers and only a few figurines were left in the tomb. From 1905 to 1914, Theodore Davis excavated the tomb but details of his work have been lost. In 1915, Howard Carter worked in the tomb and in 1989 Waseda University began to clear the tomb again. The tomb itself is laid out very much like the tombs of Amenophis II (KV 35) and Tuthmosis IV (KV 43). From the entrance of the tomb to the back wall is approximately 85 meters. This is a large tomb, as a comparison with Tutankhamun’s tomb shows.
The interior of the tomb was originally covered by paintings. Salt leeching through the walls of the tomb resulted in the paintings crumbling away from the walls. The columns inside the tomb have also started to show evidence of salt damage. In 1990, restoration efforts began in an attempt to salvage the paintings.
