When ARCE field director Dr Andrew Bednarski began developing the QSI project, he realised that there was no accurate modern map that covered the whole area. There was only one solution: to produce a new map, one that not only accurately recorded the topographic and historical features, but which would also reflect different interpretations of the landscape. 

The ARCE team consulted the local people, and discovered that though Egyptologists had traditionally divided the hamlets of the Theban foothills between el-Qurna and el-Khokha, the Qurnawis themselves actually split them according to kinship. Thus, plotting these divisions onto a map, the team revealed not two but four major sectors: el-Rasayla, Habashi, el-Tamalaya, and Hurubat, each associated with a separate family. 

Of these, the Abd el-Rasouls were the owners of houses at el-Rasayla, for example, while the families of Hurubat all believed themselves to be descended from a founding father named Harb. Such findings – which provide fascinating cultural details that would surely otherwise have been forgotten within a couple of generations – highlight the importance of community involvement and local knowledge to any archaeological project. 

One of the most fascinating aspects for the ARCE team when clearing the site is what is being revealed about everyday life at el-Qurna. Especially interesting are the ways in which the Qurnawis adapted their houses to take into account the landscape and the ancient tombs. Many houses across el-Qurna and el-Khokha incorporated the rock-cut tombs into their structures, often being built within the walled forecourts that mark the entrance to the ancient burial chambers. 

A good example of this is Q08 Structure 1, the former home of a man called Hanafy Abd el-Taher and his family, and one of the houses recently cleared on the necropolis. Here, the ancient forecourt was divided up into pens for animals, while the bedrock had been modified to create an upper floor. The ancient tomb associated with the house was accessible from the ground floor, and part of it was used as the household toilet – a common practice at el-Qurna. 

Such an arrangement was also seen at one of the site’s largest buildings: the Snake Motel. The motel, in section Q05, had been built within the tomb forecourt of a man called Hunefer, an official who lived during Egypt’s Ramesside Period (1298-1069 BC). The team also found that some houses at el-Qurna had been illegally expanded, despite official bans on such activities and government monitoring to halt these practices. 

Evidence of one method of avoiding the watchful eyes of the authorities was seen in Q11, at the house of Abd el-Baset: an animal pen was built, and was used until its presence had become accepted by all; then, during the night, it was rebuilt using stronger materials. The pen could then be used as an additional room for the household. From cooking pots and drinking jars, to aroosa dolls that were sold to tourists, the remains of the hamlets’ material culture are also being revealed to the ARCE team. 

Clearing a house in section Q05, they found an invitation card from relatives of the Basily family, who lived in the house, inviting them to Cairo to attend a funeral. And, attached to the house of Abd el-Baset in Q11, they found limestone debris, evidence of a limestone-carving industry that saw local artisans replicating ancient tomb scenes for tourists. Perhaps most intriguingly of all, when working in Q11, the team discovered a collection of magic spells, which they analysed with the help of a local sheikh. 

One, written for a man named Ahmed Ibn Nawal, compelled people to purchase items from his market stall, while others encouraged conception. Conversely, a spell identified as ‘Taskaret Dawod’ was designed to render a man impotent, and included a symbol which represented a djinn (genie), who drew his power from stars roughly sketched around the page.