Feature: Sandro Vannini's Photography - Tomb of Seti I (KV17): The Crypt's Side Chamber

In 2008, an archaeological team found that the Tomb of Seti I (KV17) was in fact larger than originally thought. Where the original discoverer, Giovanni Battista Belzoni had found the tomb to be 100 metres long when he entered in 1817, recent archaeological excavations overseen by the Supreme Council of Antiquities' Director Dr Zahi Hawass (You can meet Sandro and Dr Hawass at the British Museum tonight, or meet Dr Zahi at his London book signing on Thursday) have uncovered a mysterious tunnel leading from the Crypt which further extends the tomb by another 36 metres at least (Watch a video with Dr Hawass on the mysterious tunnel in the Tomb of Seti I).

But a smaller room is adjacent to the left of the burial chamber, which like the rest of KV17, is adorned with beautiful tomb paintings which the Tomb of Seti I is famous for. The Pharaoh oversaw the artistic peak of the Ancient Egyptian era, and it is therefore fitting for his tomb in the Valley of the Kings to contain some of the finest and diverse works of art.

Several intense excavations in KV17 during the 1950s and 1960s caused structural damage in the tomb which led to the closure of the tomb to the general public, and protective conservation measures being put in place. So while we may not be able to go down and explore one of the finest examples of Ancient Egyptian art, the renown Egyptology photographer Sandro Vannini has taken his lens down into the tomb and emerged with several beautiful images which Heritage Key brings to the internet.