The tomb was begun by Setnakht, who then abandoned it and turned to KV14 where he was buried. Setnakht son, Ramesses III, resumed work on KV11 and was interred here. Although the first three corridors were constructed by Sethnakht, the niche-like side chambers in the first two passages are believed to have been added by Ramesses III. At that time, the third corridor, which had penetrated the roof of KV10 (the tomb of Amenemose), was turned into a small room from which the rest of the tomb was cut on a shifted axis. Thus the fourth corridor uniquely rises to clear the underlying chamber of KV10, and the tomb then continues its planned descent to a well room and to the pillared hall with subsidiary chamber. Another passage then leads to the anterooms and the burial chamber. The four subsidiary chambers are symmetrically placed at each corner. Ramesses III's sarcophagus had originally been intended as an outer container for Seti II. The woodentrough of Ramesses III's second-innermost coffin was discovered in the KV35 royal cache containing the mummy of Amenhotep III. The king's mummy was found among other mummies of kings in the cache DB320 in Deir el-Bahari, in once-gilded cartonage case within the massive mummy case of Queen Ahmes-Nefertari.

A - descending steps and ramp
B - entrance (Hathor-headed columns flanking doorwey; solar disc adored by goddesses)
C - descending corridor  (king before Re-Horakhty; scenes from Litany of Re)
D - side rooms (secular scenes)
E - corridor
F - eight small rooms in two rows (numerous scenes including the blind harpists) 
G - tomb begun by Setnakht, abandoned when corridor breaks into the tomb of Amenmesses - KV10
H - Ramesses III continues excavation of tomb by repositioning axis
I - corridor (scenes from the Amduat)
J - doorkeepers niches
K - the well room (images of deities)
L - ramp
M - first pillared hall (walls show scenes from the Book of Gates; pillars depict king before deities)
N - side room (scenes from the Book of Gates)
O - lower passage (scenes from the 'opening of the mouth' ceremony)
P - first antechamber (images of various deities)
Q - second antechamber (images of various deities)
R - burial chamber (scenes from the Book of Gates and the Book of the Earth; pillars show king before deities)
S - sarcophagus of Ramesses III
T - side rooms (scenes from the Book of the Divine Cow)
U - two rear chambers
V - two rear chambers for the canopic jars (scenes from the Book of Gates)