The hill of Sheikh Abd el-Qurna on the West Bank contains dozens of non-royal tombs belonging to nobles, officials, and court figures of the New Kingdom. These are not the tombs of pharaohs but of the people who ran Egypt: viziers, royal scribes, high priests, and army commanders. The paintings in these tombs often show scenes of daily life — agricultural work, banquets, craftsmanship — that the royal tombs rarely depict.
The area includes famous tombs such as those of Rekhmire, Sennefer, and Nakht. Each requires a small separate entrance ticket, and the number open on any given day varies. Sennefer's tomb, known as the "Tomb of the Vineyards" for its ceiling painted with a dense grapevine, is particularly atmospheric in its intimacy. Nakht's tomb is modest but contains exquisite harvest and banqueting scenes with unusually vivid colour. Allow a morning for a proper exploration; this area rewards visitors who want something beyond the main monuments.