Financed by ULB, ULg, the FNRS and the Wallonia-Brussels Federation's Ministry for Higher Education and Scientific Research, the joint ULg and ULB mission focused on the twin tombs for which Roland Tefnin had obtained the concession. Belonging to two cousins, both high-ranking officials, these tombs are situated in the middle of a private necropolis that was occupied by the New Kingdom’s elite. One of the reasons they are of such interest is that they were successively reoccupied. In this necropolis, the burial sites of the Egyptian elite were indeed commonly reused over the centuries for the dead of a lower social status. At the end of the 6th century A.D., Coptic hermits withdrew from society to the barren Theban mountain, taking possession of the tombs and transforming them into living quarters. After it was abandoned by the Copts, the hill was deserted for almost a thousand years. During the 19^th century, when the antiquities' market was expanding, the region’s inhabitants, attracted by the profits, set up home there. Subsequently, the tombs were significantly plundered. Up until their expropriation in 2009, many inhabited homes remained in the archaeological area.

In 2009, the Belgians discovered a third tomb, right next to the first two: this was the tomb of Amenhotep, a deputy to the chancellor.  First discovered at the end of the 19th century by the Swedish Egyptologist, Karl Piehl, the location of this tomb was then lost, as has happened several times over the course of history. During the excavation of this tomb, exceptional fragments of murals dating from the reign of Thutmose III (circa 1479-1427 BC) were revealed.

During the excavation works, the archaeological team also discovered a surprisingly large pile of mud bricks from another era. Thousands of bricks were quickly unearthed in the courtyard of Amenhotep’s tomb. While clearing away what appeared to be rubble, the researchers discovered an organised structure whose base and particular architectural form gradually led them to the following conclusion: they were dealing with the remains of a pyramid. The discovery of the stone pyramidion that once crowned the top of the pyramid finished to convince them. Just like the numerous stamped cooked bricks, it referred to an important figure from the reign of Ramesses II: Vizier Khay (whose name is pronounced ‘Raï').

The presence of this pyramid was a surprise because it was constructed in a part of the necropolis occupied by much older tombs. “We weren’t looking for this pyramid", explains Dimitri Laboury. “Simply because we weren’t expecting to find a pyramid from the Ramesside period in the middle of a cemetery two centuries older. It was the only Ramesside tomb found in this sector".