Story
The story of Valley of the Kings
For nearly 500 years, from the Eighteenth to the Twentieth Dynasty, tombs for pharaohs and powerful nobles were cut into the rock of this valley on the west bank of the Nile, opposite ancient Thebes. It has two main parts: the East Valley, home to most of the royal tombs, and the West Valley, also called the Valley of the Monkeys.
Today 65 tombs and chambers are known, from the simple pit of KV54 to KV5, which alone has over 120 chambers for the sons of Ramesses II. The walls are decorated with scenes from Egyptian mythology that reveal beliefs about the afterlife. Almost every tomb was robbed in antiquity, yet they still give an idea of the opulence and power of Egypt's pharaohs.
Builders had to battle the rock itself: when Setnakhte began KV11, he accidentally broke into the tomb of Amenmesse and gave up. The discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922 made this one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world.
This story is compiled from Wikipedia and other open sources; dates and numbers are checked against the source. The text is shared under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Source ↗
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More highlights in Luxor
- Tomb of TutankhamunThe tomb of Tutankhamun, a pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of ancient Egypt, is located in the Valley of the Kings. The tomb, also known by its tomb number KV62, consists of four chambers and an entrance staircase and corridor.
- Medinet HabuMedinet Habu is an archaeological locality situated near the foot of the Theban Hills on the West Bank of the River Nile opposite the modern city of Luxor, Egypt.
- Karnak Temple ComplexThe Karnak Temple Complex, commonly known as Karnak, comprises a vast mix of temples, pylons, chapels, and other buildings near Luxor, Egypt.
- RamesseumThe Ramesseum is the memorial temple (or mortuary temple) of Pharaoh Ramesses II ("Ramesses the Great"). It is located in the Theban Necropolis in Upper Egypt, on the west of the River Nile, across from the modern city of Luxor.
- Valley of the QueensThe Valley of the Queens is a site in Egypt, in which queens, princes, princesses, and other high-ranking officials were buried from roughly 1560 BC to 1130 BC. Pharaohs were buried in the Valley of the Kings.
- Mortuary temple of HatshepsutThe mortuary temple of Hatshepsut was built during the reign of Pharaoh Hatshepsut of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt. Located opposite the city of Luxor, it is considered to be a masterpiece of ancient architecture.