The "Tombs of the Kings" are the majestic necropolis located just outside the walls, North-East of the city of Pafos. They were built during the Hellenistic period (3rd century BC) to meet the needs of the newly born Nea Paphos. Its name is not connected to the burial of the kings, since the royal institution was abolished in 312 BC, but rather with the impressive character of its funeral monuments. The "Tombs of the Kings" were the place where top administrative officers and important Ptolemaic personalities, as well as members of their families, were buried. The necropolis was continuously used as a burial area during the Hellenistic and Roman period (3rd century BC - early 4th century AD). There is sufficient evidence to support the fact that early Christians also used the site for their burials, while at the same time the site was an endless quarry.

Most of the tombs are characterized by an underground rectangular atrium, peristylated in the open air completely excavated in the natural rock. Doric columns or pillars supported the arcades surrounding the atrium. The funeral chambers and burial niches have been excavated in the walls of the portico. It seems that the walls were originally covered with frescoes even if today only small fragments are preserved. The architectural features of the tombs connect them directly to the Hellenistic prototypes of Alexandria, Delos, Pergamum and Priene.