Valley of the Kings

"The Great and Majestic Necropolis of the Millions of Years of the Pharaoh, Life, Strength and Health in the West of Thebes"

The pharaohs of the New Kingdom chose to have their final resting place in an isolated wadi to the north of the general mortuary region on the West Bank of the Nile - The Valley of the Kings.

The site may have been chosen for a number of reasons, both symbolic and practical. On a practical level, the valley is remote and it ancient times the entrance was narrow and relatively easy to guard - an important consideration when the eternal well-being of pharaoh was concerned. On a symbolic level, the valley is dominated by the pyramid-shaped el-Qurn (The Horn). This peak, also known as the Peak of the West, could well have reminded the pharaohs of the New Kingdom of the pyramid tombs of their ancestors. The peak was also sacred to Meretseger (She Who Loves Silence), a cobra goddess who protected the Valley and the workers who laboured there. Also, on a symbolic level, the valley is completely devoid of any vegetation which gives it an almost timeless quality.

Not all of the tombs are open to the public, although there is usually a good number open which represent the various styles of tomb dug during the four hundred years that the valley was in use. The principal tombs (of which one or two are usually included in a tour) are those of:

Hatshepsut	Seti II
Thuthmosis III	Siptah
Amenhotep II	Setnakhte
Thuthmosis IV	Ramesses III
Tutankhamun	Ramesses IV
Horemheb	Ramesses VI
Seti I	Ramesses IX
Ramesses II	Ramesses XI
Merneptah

The individual tombs will not be discussed in any great detail here as there are many useful books and guides dedicated to the valley - it is well worth purchasing one before a visit (e.g. see The Complete Valley of the Kings or visit KV5 - The Theban Mapping Project).

In general, the tombs consist of a series of sloping corridors, stairs and rooms leading to the burial chamber itself. This can range from the incredibly complex tomb dug for the Royal Sons of Ramesses II (KV5 - in which over 110 corridors and rooms have been discovered) to the most simple design of Tutankhamun's tomb (one corridor and four rooms). However, the common features are the corridors, rooms and burial chamber. The plans for each tomb will vary, but in general will follow one of two basic designs: the straight tomb and the bent tomb.

The building of their tomb was a high priority for a pharaoh - it was the place where their ka (nearest cultural equivalent rendering being soul or life force) was transformed and regenerated, allowing eternal life with the gods. The location of the tomb was usually chosen within the first year of a pharaoh's reign, as were the design and decoration. The tomb was excavated and decorated by the workmen from the village at Deir el-Medina, "The Place of Truth". Unlike other tombs, the decoration of the tombs of the pharaohs does not depict scenes form everyday life - it is only concerned with the afterlife and the journey the pharaoh takes after death in order to reach the dwelling place of Osiris and eternal bliss. The texts written on the walls are generally taken from the great religious texts of the time: The Book of the Dead, The Book of the Amduat, The Book of Gates, The Book of Caverns, The Book of Earth and The Litanies of Ra. These magical formulae assist the pharaoh in the dangerous journey into the afterlife where danger lurks around every corner (or at every gate). All routes lead to the hall of the sarcophagus (symbolically the Kingdom of Osiris), which was called the Golden Hall with reference to the fact that gold is incorruptible and the belief that the gods had flesh made of gold.

The entrance to a tomb is usually protected by the sun god in various forms such as Amun and Khepri enclosed within the solar disc. The begin a series of steps, corridors and store room, all leading to the burial chamber.

The valley can get very hot and bright - take a hat, some sunglasses and plenty of water.

Remember to buy photography permits at the entrance to the valley - and make sure that if you wish to take photos in Tutankhamun's tomb you buy a separate (and more expensive) permit.

A note about taking photos, particularly in the Tombs on the West Bank at Luxor (Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens, Tombs of the Nobles): Please observe the "no flash photography" warnings when they are present (i.e. in all the tombs). The light from a camera flash will do irreparable damage to the paintings in these tombs. More ultra violet damage has been done to these paintings in the last 100 years than has occurred in the previous 3000 years. The camera flash will bleach the colour pigments, rendering the paintings dull and eventually colourless.

I have successfully taken photos in these tombs using a SLR camera with a very fast film (ISO 400 and faster).