Valley of the Kings in Luxor

The ancient Egyptian kings used to be buried in huge pyramids for a long time (2630-1550 BCE), like the Great Pyramids of Giza. The last royal pyramid was built in 1550 BCE by pharaoh Ahmose I in Abydos. Unpredictably, pharaohs ceased building pyramids due to grave robberies. They decided to cut their tombs deep into the mountain in western Thebes, modern Luxor. They created what we now call the Valley of the Kings.

Rise of the Valley of the Kings

The Valley of the Kings is one of the most important highlights not only in Luxor but throughout Egypt. Ancient Egyptians named it (Ta-Iset-Ma’at), which means “the Place of Truth“. Valley of the Kings is the necropolis of the great Egyptian pharaohs of the 18th to the 20th Dynasty (1550-1080 BCE). Tuthmosis I was the first pharaoh who was buried at the Valley of the Kings. While Ramses XI was the last pharaoh who was buried there.

The story of the Valley of the Kings begins when the pharaohs ceased building new pyramids. Therefore, pharaohs decided to separate their tombs from their mortuary temples. First pharaoh to do so was Tuthmosis I. His chief architect Ineni excavated a shaft tomb in a lonely ravine. Then, he cut a steep stairway into the rock, and at its bottom the burial chamber. This plan was followed by all the later pharaohs.

Ineni himself has provided us with documentation of the utmost secrecy of the undertaking. In a phrase he carved into the wall of his mortuary chapel. “I alone oversaw the construction of the magnificent tomb of His Majesty. No one saw anything, no one heard.”

Tomb decoration in the Valley of the Kings

Tombs in the Valley of the Kings are hewn out of the bedrock. Decorated with scenes of the journey of the Sun-god Re through the underworld. The deceased pharaoh absorbed by the setting sun. Traveling in the barge of the Sun-god through a 12-hour journey at night. Each hour is separated from the other by gates guarded by serpents. The solar barge safeguarded from the hazards of the underworld by protective deities and emblems. Finally, they reached the Court of Judgment or the Court of Osiris.

Here, Osiris and 42 gods from Upper and Lower Egypt listened to the deceased’s confession. Then, watched over the weighing of the heart of the deceased against the Feather of Truth. The Ibis-headed god, Thoth, the god of Writing recorded the verdict. If guilty, the deceased will be devoured by a terrible animal or sent to Hell. A good verdict gave access to everlasting life.

Most famous Tombs of the Valley of the Kings

The tombs are just as fascinating as ever. Some royal tombs as Ramses VI have burial chambers adorned with astrological signs. Decorations in others such as Amenhotep II were made to resemble papyrus texts pinned to the walls.

The most beautiful tombs at the Valley of Kings are the tombs of Ramses IV, Ramses IX, Merenptah and Ramses III. Sethnakht & Tausert, Ramses VI, Seti I, Horemhab, Tuthmosis III, and Tutankhamen are remarkable tombs. Only 10 tombs are open to the public, on a rotation system. Some of the tombs have an extra fee to visit, like Tutankhamen 600 EGP, Ramses VI 180 EGP, and Seti I 2000 EGP.

Tomb numbering in the Valley of the Kings

It is to John Gardner Wilkinson, a founder of Egyptology, that we owe the tomb numbers in the Valley of the Kings. We also owe him the chronological list of the pharaohs buried there. In 1927, Wilkinson set out to number the tombs according to a simple but highly officious system. Armed with a bucket of paint and a brush, he gave each tomb a number. He painted it on the entrance or a nearby rock.

He began numbering with the tomb lowest down in the valley (that of Ramses VII, No.1). He proceeded along the main path, numbering as he went on both the left and the right. By the time he reached the top of the valley of the kings, he had numbered 15 tombs. He then descended again to count those in the adjacent ravines. The known and numbered tombs are today (November 2020) 65, all bearing the abbreviation KV for Kings Valley. Till writing this post (November 2020), all the royal tombs were discovered at the Valley of the Kings but the tomb of Ramses VIII is not discovered yet.

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Discovering Tutankhamen Tomb

Howard Carter (British Archaeologist) had begun work in 1915 and, with little to show for it seven years later. His patron Lord Carnarvon was about to terminate his contract. But when Cater arrived at work on November 4, 1922, he knew right away that something unusual had happened. While exploring the house foundations that had sheltered the workers at Ramses VI’s tomb, they found a steep cut in the rock. By the following afternoon, they had explored a flight of 16 steps and, at the bottom, a sealed door. The seal has merely that of a necropolis guard, not a royal one. Carter dashed off a cable to Carnarvon and sportingly waited 17 days for him to arrive.

Together Carter and Carnarvon cleared the entrance and at the bottom of the door hit the jackpot. There, still intact was the seal of Tutankhamen. Beyond the door lay a sloping passage full of rubble. About 9m along the passage Carter found another door. It is the Tutankhamun Tomb.

Tutankhamun’s Golden Treasures

To the men’s astonishment, the tomb was packed with an untidy mess of three gilded beds. Two golden chariots, various chairs and stools, two black and gold life-size statues, and a huge assortment of objects. That proved to be only the antechamber. On 17 February 1923 began the exciting job of chipping away at the plaster to find what lay beyond a massive gold shrine. Carter squeezed around it to find an open doorway that led to the treasury, watched over by a life-size statue of Anubis. Here a box-like shrine was found. When away was devised to open it up, it was found to contain another smaller shrine. It came apart, four shrines in all.

It took a whole year to reach the 4th and final shrine, which produced a quartzite sarcophagus with a lid of pink granite. Inside was a coffin in the shape of the young boy-king. The coffin contained a second coffin. On 17 October 1926, four years after the first coffin was found, a third and final coffin of solid gold weighing 112kg appeared. The mummy of the king was at last exposed. The famous mask protected the face well but the rest of the body had carbonized.

This tiny intact tomb gave the boy-pharaoh Tutankhamen his world fame. The complete treasure is displayed at the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

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Priests trying to protect the mummies

The repose of Tuthmosis I, like that of most of the pharaohs, was of short duration. Systematic plundering of the tombs began early, despite 24-hour surveillance by teams of guards during the entire pharaonic period. The thieves were of course after the precious furnishings of the tomb. By a curious twist of fate, these powerful kings were destined not to find peace even after death. During the weak reign of the Ramessides, the priests of Amon, once so powerful, lost all their authority. They still stayed loyal to their dead kings. To protect their peaceful afterlife and prevent tomb robbing, they secretly moved the royal mummies between burial sites.

These transferals were so frequent that Ramses III was buried all three times. Finally, they chose a secret hiding place that was almost impossible to reach. In the mountain of Deir El-Bahari, they dug a shaft about 12 meters deep. A long corridor led off from the bottom of the shaft into a spacious room. At night and in great secret, with only a few torches for light, the priests moved quietly. They took the pharaohs from their sarcophagi in the Valley of the Kings. They laid them all to rest in this cave in the mountain. Each with a name shield around the neck for identification.

Some had died recently, and some centuries before. Some had reigned briefly, and others for decades. Some had once been the most powerful rulers on earth. It made no difference. Now they lay all together, in sparse order, one alongside the next.

Modern graves’ robbery of the Valley of the Kings

A young tomb robber named Ahmed Abdel Rasoul, from the village of Qurnah, discovered this hiding place by pure chance one day in 1875. For 6 years and became rich from trade in the objects they gradually stole from the royal mummies. Then the secret came out and on 5 July 1881. After long questioning, the young boy led Emil Brugsch to the shaft entrance. Emil was the brother of Egyptologist Heinrich Brugsch. At the time, Emil was the Vice Director of the Cairo Museum. A few days later; the mummies were packed and carried down into the valley, where a ship was waiting to take them to Cairo.

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How to get to the Valley of Kings from Luxor?

To get to the Valley of the Kings from Luxor, you have several transportation options:

Taxi:

The most convenient option is to hire a taxi to take you from Luxor to the Valley of the Kings. You can negotiate the fare with the taxi driver before starting your journey.

Guided Tours:

Egypt Best Vacations offers a wide range of guided tours to the Valley of the Kings, which include transportation.