Editing Tomb of Seti I (section)

== Design ==
Previously considered the longest tomb in the valley until the discovery of the [[KV5|Tomb of the Sons of Ramesses II]], at 137.19 meters (450.10 feet),<ref>{{cite news |last=Bossone |first=Andrew |title=Pharaoh Seti I's Tomb Bigger Than Thought |date=April 17, 2008 |publisher=National Geographic News |url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/04/080417-seti-tomb.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080420142208/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/04/080417-seti-tomb.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 20, 2008 |access-date=2008-04-19}}</ref> it contains well preserved reliefs in all but two of its seventeen chambers and side rooms.
[[File:KV 35 Tomb Valley of the kings (cropped).png|thumb|upright=1.2|Map of Valley of The Kings showing the location of KV17.]]
The design of the tomb follows a "[[Joggle (architecture)|joggled axis]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tomb of Sety I (KV17) |url=https://egymonuments.gov.eg/monuments/tomb-of-sety-i-kv17/ |access-date=2023-03-12 |website=egymonuments.gov.eg |language=en}}</ref>" style of architecture; the tomb entry's descending line is interrupted by a "wiggle" that changes to a sharper angle of descent when entering the tomb following the first chamber. The entry to the tomb consists of four hallways (A–D), each leading further underground; they have a number of murals depicting traditional religious imagery along with illustrations of Seti I before [[Ra]]. Deeper into the tomb, rooms F, Fa, J, Jb, Jc and Jd have intricately carved support pillars with well preserved decorations. It is also one of the first discovered tombs to have a vaulted burial chamber,<ref name=":0" /> along with remaining examples of construction, such as plastered over postholes where wooden beams would have been.<ref name=":0" />

In common with many early tombs in the valley, chamber E has a well shaft cut into the floor.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Sety I {{!}} Theban Mapping Project |url=https://thebanmappingproject.com/tombs/kv-17-sety-i |access-date=2023-02-21 |website=thebanmappingproject.com |language=en}}</ref>

A tunnel known as corridor K slopes downward from beneath the location where the sarcophagus stood in the burial chamber. In 1960, the first attempt at excavation resulted in the partial clearance of nearly {{convert|136|m|ft}} of the tunnel. Due to the poor quality of the rock through which the tunnel was cut, this excavation was abandoned for safety reasons. From 2007 to 2010, the [[Supreme Council of Antiquities]] undertook a second excavation, installing steel supports and a railway system for removing debris. Two staircases were uncovered, with the tunnel ending abruptly at the bottom of the second. The total length of the tunnel is {{convert|174|m|ft}}.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Williams |first1=Sean |title=No secret Burial at end of Seti I Tunnel |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/history/no-secret-burial-at-end-of-seti-i-tunnel-2014674.html |website=www.independent.co.uk |access-date=17 December 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Hawass |first1=Zahi |title=The secret tunnel of Seti I |url=https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/50/1207/494141/AlAhram-Weekly/Heritage/The-secret-tunnel-of-Seti-I.aspx |website=english.ahram.org.eg |access-date=17 December 2024}}</ref>

=== Decoration ===
The entry corridors (Corridors B–D) are heavily decorated with symbols of the Pharaoh, like those of [[Maat|Ma'at]] and a list of Set's royal names and epithets.<ref name=":1"/> One of the back chambers is decorated with the [[Opening of the mouth ceremony]], which shows the Egyptian belief that a magic religious ceremony would open the lungs and throat of the mummy, allowing them to breathe in the afterlife. Considered a very important religious ceremony, a semi-complete depiction of this ritual provides an in-depth view of the pantheon of practices undertaken to ensure safe passage into the afterlife.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Opening of the Mouth |url=https://www.ucl.ac.uk/museums-static/digitalegypt/religion/wpr.html |access-date=2023-02-21 |website=www.ucl.ac.uk}}</ref> Further into the tomb are numerous depictions of King Seti with numerous Gods. Chamber F depicts images of Seti with [[Hathor]], [[Horus]] and [[Neith]],<ref name=":1"/> along with intact mural examples of the [[Book of Gates]].[[File:Belzoni's Valley of the Kings.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Map of Belzoni's discoveries in the Valley of the Kings. KV17 is marked as "6. Great Tomb of Samathis".]]The tomb is covered floor to ceiling by detailed murals and reliefs. The ceiling of the vaulted burial chamber depicts a series of astronomical motifs, with golden stars on a deep blue background. Other decorations are religious in nature, including depictions of the [[Litany of Re|Litany of Ra]], the [[Book of the Dead|Book of The Dead]], [[Amduat|the Imydwat]], the [[Book of the Heavenly Cow|Book of The Heavenly Cow]] and depictions of Seti with various deities. There are also depictions of the King alone, standing in the pillars of the room.<ref name=":1" /> Each room is heavily decorated, both wall and ceiling, along with numerous columns and floor skirting. Much of the floor skirting is damaged, due to both the ravages of time and the damage due to excavation.

Parts of the tomb ceilings have been painted with gold stars on a deep blue sky, a common motif in temples and tombs in Egypt. Numerous rooms in Seti's tomb use the motif, including rooms such as side chamber Jb with the [[Amduat|Imydwat]]. There are many richly decorated rooms, with their own general themes.