Valley of the Kings: Egypt's Royal Necropolis

Egypt Hayam Aladly May 22 2024

Egypt is home to one of the oldest civilizations in the world and has a fascinatingly rich and complex history. One of the best parts of your tours in Egypt will be learning the stories of the pharaohs and queens of ancient Egypt; also marveling at their impressive tombs in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor.

About the Valley of the Kings:

For more than 500 years, the Valley of the Kings was a place for the construction of the tombs of the pharaohs. It was created around 1539 BC and used until around 1075 BC. It is located on the west bank of the Nile River near Luxor. In total, there are about 63 tombs within the valley. They are for different rulers, pharaohs, and queens of the 18th, 19th, and 20th dynasties starting from Thutmose I and ending with Ramses XI. It also contains powerful nobles including their wives and children.

In 1979, Valley of the Kings was made a World Heritage Site. It remains one of the most important and famous archaeological sites in the world for having unique collections of tombs and breathtaking ancient ruins. The location makes it one of the hottest spots for exploring ancient Egyptian history. In peak times, not all cemeteries are open for visits at all times, which number 11 cemeteries out of many cemeteries. The tombs are also open on a rotation system to preserve the paintings as much as possible from the damage caused by humidity.

The Valley of the Kings is divided into the Eastern Valley, where most of the royal tombs are located; and the Western Valley, which contains many treasures that dazzled the world through the amazing Pharaonic burial rituals in which the mummies and drawn tombs are buried. The tombs and chambers vary in size and are decorated with beautiful scenes of ancient Egyptian mythology and images from their daily life that provide clues about their history, culture, and religious beliefs during this period. This Valley has been the focus of archaeological exploration since the end of the eighteenth century. Its tombs and burial sites continue to stimulate research and interest until the present day.

The most famous tombs in the Valley of the Kings:

Beginning with the 18th Dynasty and ending with the 20th; the kings abandoned the Memphis area and built their tombs in Thebes. Also abandoned were the pyramid-style tombs. Here are the most famous tombs in the Valley of the Kings:

Tomb of Tutankhamun

One of the most famous tombs in the Valley of the Kings is the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun; sometimes called King Tut which was discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter. Tut is a uniquely important discovery because the mummy of the young king was highly intact. The tomb is packed with amazing artifacts including King Tut’s fully preserved mummy, a solid gold inner coffin, a chariot, the famous golden mask, and many objects that Tutankhamun would have used in his daily life, such as clothes, jewelry, cosmetics, incense, furniture, chairs, toys, vessels made of a variety of materials, and weapons. The tomb contained several chambers; the most important ones were the burial chamber and the treasure chamber.

Tomb of Ramses VII

The Tomb of Ramses VII is a small, unfinished tomb. It’s much smaller than many other tombs due to hasty finishing, as the pharaoh died unexpectedly. A Greek inscription shows that this tomb was known and accessible during the Ptolemaic period.

Tomb of Ramses IV

The tomb of Ramses IV is an architecturally structured grave from the 20th dynasty. It is located to the right of the road outside the direct entrance barrier. Its total length is about 66 m. The tomb is very elaborate, with colorful images that cover the walls and ceiling. It is also decorated in an unnatural form. And on its walls are the dates of the martyrdom of the heroes of the tomb.

Above its entrance, there is a sun disk representing the goddess Ra. Inside is a picture of the goddess Khabar and Atom with a ram’s head, and on their sides Isis and Nepheth worship him. The granite sarcophagus of the king is also still in a room.

Tomb of Ramses IX

The tomb of Ramses IX is another beautiful tomb in the Valley of the Kings from the 20th dynasty with a total length of about 86 m. Similar to the tomb of Ramses IV; you walk down a long, elaborately decorated passageway to the tomb. Along this passageway, you can see the Book of the Dead. The walls are protected with glass.

The hallway ends at a viewpoint of the burial chamber, which is decorated with a figure of the king and more detailed images. This beautiful tomb has some excellent wall paintings. In it, you can see some scenes from the life of Ramses IX.

Tomb of Merneptah

The tomb of Merneptah is a large grave of the 19th dynasty with depictions from the Amduat, the Book of Portals, the Book of the Dead, and the Litany of the Sun. Its total length is about 115 m. Merenptah lacks a lot of detailed artwork and reliefs that you can see in the other tombs. It’s a downhill walk through a long passageway where some of the walls are barren and some of the walls contain images of King Merenptah with the god Ra-Horakhty. The passageway ends in a large burial chamber that still contains the well-preserved stone sarcophagus. The mummy of Merenptah resides inside the Egyptian Museum.

Tomb of Ramses III

The tomb of Ramses III is one of the most beautiful, largest, and richly decorated tombs in the Valley of the Kings with a total length of about 125. It contains drawings showing some of the life of King Ramses III. The tomb is sometimes referred to as the “Harpers Tomb” due to the two harpers playing to the gods in four of the chambers. Ten small chambers branch off of the main corridors. These were for the placement of tomb furniture.

Long passageways, with detailed artwork protected behind glass, lead down to the burial chamber where the pharaoh’s sarcophagus once stood. His mummy was found at Deir el-Bahri and is now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. There is a lot to see in this tomb. Although the reliefs are not particularly well-executed here, they are notable for their variety and the excellent preservation of the colors.

Tomb of Tausert & Setnakht

This double tomb is one of the largest in the Valley of the Kings. It was originally built for Tausert, wife of Seti II, who ruled for the last two years of the 19th Dynasty. It is thought that she constructed the tomb to hold both her and Seti II; but the tomb was taken over by her immediate successor, the Pharaoh Setnakht. He expanded it, tunneling deeper into the ground to create a burial chamber for himself. Setnakht also changed some of the tomb’s decorations and in the lower reaches of the tomb complex. Original paintings portraying Tausert were later replaced by scenes depicting Setnakht.

The highlight here remains Tausert’s burial chamber, where the room is dominated by a large scene of a winged and ram-headed sun god portrayed emerging from the underworld.

Tomb of Seti II

Setnakht probably built Seti II’s tomb after he decided to take the pharaoh’s original burial place for himself. This tomb is much smaller than the neighboring Tomb of Tausert & Setnakht. The decorative work here lacks the careful detail of some other tombs, and as the tomb has been open since antiquity you can spot Greek and Latin graffiti on the chamber and corridor walls.

The tomb of Seti II was famous in 1922 as a factory for processing and restoring the delicate pieces found in the tomb of Tutankhamun. It has many good drawings, especially the symbol of the king himself drawn on the right wall near the entrance. It presents a statue of Ma’at, the goddess of truth. This leads to the assumption that the king was deposed and then reinstated again on the throne.

Tomb of Siptah

The tomb of Siptah is a grave of the late 19th dynasty with representations from the Amduat book and the sun litany. It was discovered by Ayrton in 1905. Its total length is about 90m. Many of the passageways in Siptah are undecorated. And the burial chamber is also unfinished, according to the books about the Valley of the Kings.

Tomb of Ramesses V & VI

This tomb was originally begun by King Ramses V (c.1147–1143 BC) of the Twentieth Dynasty. Although it is uncertain whether he was ultimately buried here, it is clear that his uncle Ramses VI (c.1143–1136 BC) enlarged the tomb; and used it for his burial.

The tomb is simple in plan, essentially consisting of a series of descending corridors that lead deep underground, in a straight line to the burial chamber. It has three chambers and a 4th pillared chamber added by Ramses VI. Portions of the Book of the Dead are located in the pillared chamber, along with scenes of the sky goddess, Nut. Its decorative program consists also of various funerary texts to help the king in his successful transition to the afterlife. All ceilings are decorated with astronomical scenes and texts. Some of these funerary texts are collections of spells, and others are maps of the underworld, describing the sun god’s daily nocturnal journey through it.

Tomb of Seti I

The tomb of Seti I is one of the longest and the most magnificent tombs in the valley with a length of around 100 m. It is also known as Belzoni’s Tomb after Belzoni opened the tomb in October 1817. It was closed to visitors for years due to preservation issues, but recently opened again and is now one of the Valley of the King’s star attractions. The tomb contains very well-preserved reliefs in all of its eleven chambers and side rooms. The sarcophagus is now in the Sir John Soane Museum, in London.

Tomb of Horemheb

A beautiful grave from the late 18th dynasty (around 1300 BC). It was discovered by Ayrton in 1908. It is the first representation of the gate book. The tomb has an idiosyncratic character due to the blue background color. Its construction is identical to that of Seti I’s except for some of the inner decorations.

Tomb of Tuthmosis III

The Tomb of Tuthmosis III is one of the most fascinating tombs of the 18th dynasty. It was recently discovered in 1998 and located in a narrow and steep-sided gully some 250 meters south of the tomb of Ramses III. This tomb is currently not open to the public.

The burial chamber is designed in the shape of a large cartouche. The ceiling is decorated with yellow stars on a dark blue background. The walls of the burial chamber are also covered with well-preserved scenes and texts from the Book of what is in the Underworld. Those on the pillars are of particular interest.