Greece & Rome · 1st–3rd century AD · Valley of the Kings, Luxor, Egypt
Tamil and Sanskrit graffiti show Indian visitors at Egypt's Valley of the Kings
About 30 inscriptions in three ancient Indian languages, left in six tombs in Roman times, include eight signatures by a man named Cikai Korran, probably from southern India.
Not yet peer reviewed
Valley of the Kings, Egypt About 30 inscriptions in three ancient Indian languages have been identified in six tombs in Egypt's Valley of the Kings. They date to between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD. Egypt was then a province of the Roman Empire, and the old royal burial ground near Luxor was a destination for sightseers.
Half of the inscriptions are in Old Tamil, the language of southern India. Eight of them carry the same name: Cikai Korran.
The research was presented at an academic conference on Tamil epigraphy in Chennai in February 2026, according to Arkeonews. Live Science also reported it. The reports do not mention a published paper.
The coverage names two scholars. Ingo Strauch of the University of Lausanne gave the date range. The other is Charlotte Schmid of the French School of the Far East.
The Valley of the Kings lies on the west bank of the Nile. It was the burial place of pharaohs and powerful nobles during the New Kingdom. By the Roman period it had been drawing visitors for centuries, and many of them wrote on the tomb walls.
By the early 20th century, more than 2,000 such graffiti had been recorded in the tombs. Most of them are in Greek or Latin. The Indian-language texts widen the picture of who visited the site.
Korran wrote his name high on the walls
Korran's name appears in five different tombs. The researchers translated his short texts, and Arkeonews reported the result. They say something close to "Cikai Korran came here and saw".
Schmid said that Korran tended to put his inscriptions high up on walls. At the tomb of Ramesses IX, who reigned 1126–1108 BC, his name is 5 to 6 metres above the entrance. The reports do not explain how he reached that height.
Little else is known about him. His use of Old Tamil suggests he came from southern India. Schmid said he may have been travelling as a mercenary or a merchant. She added that it is not clear who he was.
A messenger of King Kshaharata wrote in Sanskrit
Another visitor wrote in Sanskrit. He gave his name as Indranandin and called himself a messenger of King Kshaharata. Arkeonews identifies Kshaharata as a dynasty that ruled parts of India during the 1st century AD.
The coverage names Sanskrit and Old Tamil. It does not say which third language appears among the inscriptions.
Strauch suggests that Indranandin came to Egypt by sea.
It is possible that Indranandin arrived by ship at Berenike [on the east coast of Egypt], perhaps together with other Indians, and from there continued inland to the Valley of the Kings.
Ingo Strauch, University of Lausanne
Berenike, on the Red Sea, was one of the main harbours for trade between India and the Roman world. Myos Hormos, further north, was another. Ships crossing the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea carried spices, textiles and gemstones between the regions.
Researchers quoted by Live Science say the inscriptions show something more. Indian visitors passed through Egypt for trade, and they also came to see its monuments.
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