Portuguese 
English 
Spanish 
5 min of reading 
1 comment 
Researchers Identified About 30 Inscriptions Left by Visitors from India in Six Tombs of the Valley of the Kings, Egypt, Dated Between the 1st and 3rd Centuries AD, Revealing Foreign Presence in the Region During Roman Rule
Visitors from India left around 30 inscriptions in Egyptian tombs approximately 2,000 years old in the Valley of the Kings, Egypt. The records, written in three ancient Indian languages, reinforce evidence of the presence of people from South Asia in the region during the Roman period.
New Inscriptions Reveal Foreign Visitors in the Valley of the Kings
Researchers identified approximately 30 inscriptions distributed across six different tombs in the Valley of the Kings, where pharaohs and powerful members of the Egyptian elite were buried for centuries. The texts are written in three ancient Indian languages and were analyzed in a recent study.
Half of the identified inscriptions are in ancient Tamil. Among the names recorded appears repeatedly that of a visitor named Cikai Korran, responsible for several marks found on the walls of tombs in the Egyptian necropolis.
-
The surprising fact: 1 in 3 Brazilians doubts the arrival of man on the Moon, while the majority still believes in the historic achievement, according to a Datafolha survey with more than 2,000 people.
-
Scientists have finally discovered where the plastic that disappeared from the oceans went, and the answer is frightening: it fragmented into such tiny particles that they became invisible and now there are 27 million tons of nanoplastic just in the North Atlantic.
-
The Artemis II mission will take the Orion capsule back to the vicinity of the Moon with four astronauts, a private bathroom with a curtain, a system adapted for men and women, and a level of comfort that highlights how the Apollo era operated at the rawest limits of space exploration.
-
Giant structures on the seabed precisely control oil and reveal how high-tech underwater valves work.
The discoveries were presented in February during an academic conference held in Chennai, India. The results were also published in the book “Tamil Epigraphy: A four-day international conference 11-14 February 2026, Proceedings Volume 1,” edited by the Government of Tamil Nadu.
Dating Points to the Period Between the 1st and 3rd Centuries
During the new investigation, scholars dated the Indian inscriptions between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD. During this period, Egypt was part of the Roman Empire, and the Valley of the Kings was already visited by travelers interested in the ancient tombs.
According to Professor Ingo Strauch from the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, the site functioned as a tourist destination similar to what occurs today. Visitors often recorded their names or messages on the walls of the tombs.
This behavior was not exclusive to local travelers. People from India also left records, writing or engraving texts directly on the funerary structures that were open to visitation.
Messenger of an Indian King Also Left a Record
Among the texts found is an inscription in Sanskrit written by a man named Indranandin. In the record, he claims to be a “messenger of King Kshaharata,” a dynasty that ruled part of India during the 1st century AD.
It is not clear which specific ruler of the Kshaharata dynasty he represented. However, the inscription suggests that Indranandin may have been on a diplomatic or commercial journey during his passage through Egypt.
Strauch considers it possible that he arrived in the country by ship through the port of Berenike, located on the eastern Egyptian coast along the Red Sea. From there, he could have traveled inland to reach the Valley of the Kings.
Researchers also point to the possibility that he was traveling towards Rome. Since Egypt was governed by the Roman Empire at the time, the route could have been part of a broader journey.
Cikai Korran Left Eight Inscriptions in Five Tombs
Among the identified visitors, Cikai Korran stands out for the number of records found. He wrote his name eight times in five different tombs, always in ancient Tamil.
The inscriptions left by him translate as “Cikai Korran came here and saw.” The repetitive pattern of the message indicates that he was recording his passage through the visited sites in the funerary complex.
One characteristic observed by researchers is that Korran often wrote his records in elevated points of the structures. In one specific case, he engraved his inscription between five and six meters above the entrance to the tomb of Ramses IX.
Ramses IX ruled Egypt approximately between 1126 BC and 1108 BC. Scholars were unable to determine how Korran reached that height to record his name on the wall of the tomb.
Inscription Also Appears in Tomb of Two Pharaohs
Another mark attributed to Korran was found at the entrance of a tomb that belonged to two pharaohs of the New Kingdom: Tausert and Setnakhte. At this site, the inscription appears isolated at the entrance of the funerary monument.
Researchers noted that this is the only inscription identified in this tomb. This suggests that at the time of Korran’s visit, the interior of the monument was closed to the public.
Even without access to the interior, he was able to locate the entrance of the tomb and register his name at the site. This detail indicates that foreign visitors circulated in the area even when some structures were inaccessible.
There is still no conclusive information about who exactly Cikai Korran was. The language used in the inscriptions only indicates that he was probably from southern India.
Charlotte Schmid, a researcher at the French School of Far Eastern Studies, stated that Korran could have been a chief, mercenary, or trader. The reason why he repeated his name so many times also remains unknown.
Academic Reactions to the Discoveries
Researchers who analyzed the findings highlight that the inscriptions provide new evidence regarding contacts between South Asia and ancient Egypt. According to experts, records of this kind were expected, but rarely documented in significant quantity.
Independent researcher Kasper Grønlund Evers stated that the discoveries correspond exactly to the type of evidence that scholars of ancient trade sought to find. He highlights that the texts confirm the presence of merchants from India and nearby regions.
For Alexandra von Lieven, a professor of Egyptology at the University of Münster, the inscriptions indicate not only the presence of Indian visitors but also their direct interest in Egyptian culture.
According to her, new research may reveal other similar inscriptions at different archaeological sites in Egypt. Among the locations that may present similar records are temples and other ancient monuments scattered throughout the country.
Muito interessante! Esses indianos já falavam português há dois mil anos ! Gente fina