Valley of the Kings

Valley of the Kings

Highlights The main tombs open to the public in the Valley of the Kings include: 1. The Mortuary Temple of Ramses III: Features reliefs depicting Ramses III’s military exploits, such as battles against enemies and hunting wild bulls. The second courtyard has a hypostyle hall with 24 stone pillars, and the ceiling retains vividly colored reliefs. 2. Amenhotep II (18th Dynasty): Two pillars in the tomb chamber are painted with depictions of the gods Osiris, Anubis, Hathor, Horus, and Amenhotep II. 3. Tutankhamun (18th Dynasty): The pharaoh’s mummy is still placed inside the tomb. On the wall at the front of the tomb chamber, there are paintings of King Tutankhamun depicted as the god Osiris, along with his successor, King Ay. 4. Horemheb (18th Dynasty): Contains exquisite murals. 5. Seti II (19th Dynasty): Houses a mummy. 6. Merneptah (19th Dynasty): Features a sarcophagus made of red granite. 7. Tausert (19th Dynasty): Tomb of the wife of Seti II. 8. Seti I (19th Dynasty): Contains beautiful murals. 9. Ramses III (20th Dynasty): Includes statues of harp players. 10. Ramses IV (20th Dynasty): Has a massive sarcophagus. 11. Ramses VI (20th Dynasty): Retains well-preserved murals. 12. Ramses IX (20th Dynasty): Smaller than the tomb of Ramses VI. 13. Thutmose III (18th Dynasty): The lines in the tomb are exquisitely composed. It is the last discovered pharaoh’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings and the only one that remains undisturbed. (The image in the upper right corner is the death mask of Tutankhamun.) Introduction The Valley of the Kings is located on the west bank of the Nile, 7 kilometers from the riverbank. It can be accessed via the steep mountain road at the northern end of the Theban Necropolis. There are over 60 royal tombs here, burying 64 pharaohs from the 17th to the 20th dynasties. The largest tomb is that of Pharaoh Seti I of the 19th Dynasty. From the entrance to the final tomb chamber, the horizontal distance is 210 meters, and the vertical descent is 45 meters. Huge rock caves were carved into underground palaces, with walls and ceilings covered in murals and rich decorations that are hard to imagine. Tomb entrances are often located halfway up mountainsides, with narrow passages leading deep inside the tombs. The patterns and hieroglyphics on the walls of these passages remain very clear to this day. The most worthwhile tombs to visit in the Valley of the Kings include those of Tutankhamun, Ramses III, Ramses VI, and Seti I. Some tombs are generally not open to the public and are reserved for academic research only. Tickets/Opening Hours: Ticket: 20 Egyptian pounds. Students receive a half-price discount and can choose to visit any 3 tombs.

Luxor, Egypt