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The Valley of the Kings is the largest, traditional burial place of the kings and nobles. Used extensively during the New Kingdom, the site contains the tombs of kings from Ahmose, Thutmos I, Amenthotpe III, Tutankhamun, Rameseses the great and many others.
Sited in the arid desert hills of the west, overlooking the fertile Nile valley, where the city of Thebes, now Luxor sits, the cliffs seemed the the natural guardians of the honored dead.
Most of the burial chambers were looted during ancient times, except for the tomb of the boy king, Tutankhamun, that was discovered in 1922, by Howard Carter.
The Egyptian residences of Carter and his sponsor, Lord Carnarvon still stand on the road to the great valley.
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From left, entry way to the tomb of Ay; entry to a tomb; interior the tomb of Seti II; tomb wall hieroglyphs.
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The tomb of Tutankhamun is the most famous of the tombs in the Valley. The fine treasures of the tomb, including the mannequin above, left, are housed in the Egyptian Museum. Shown, Howard Carter, examining the contents of the tomb, 1922. Today, Tutankhamun's mummy is the only royal mummy to remain in the Valley of the Kings.
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Over the pass from the Valley of the Kings, there is The Valley of the Queens where the dynasties queens and many nobles were interred. The most beautiful of these tombs is that of the beloved queen of Rameses the Great, Queen Nerfertari, right.
Out of the valleys, on a field, not far from the Nile, stand two collosal statues of Amenhotep III, with diminutive statues of his great queen, Queen Tiye, below left. These statues are called the Collosi of Memnon.
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From left, magnificent tomb inscriptions in the tomb of Ramesses VI. Note the elaborately painted ceiling; at right, graffitti left by early Christians, who often took refuge in ancient tombs and temples, during the period of their persecution.
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In the vicinity of the Valley of the Kings, there are many temple and tribute sites; mortuary sites, cemetaries and the ruins of villages.
The Rameseum built by Rameses the Great, it lies just past the mud brick ruins of the temple of Tuthmose III.
Past the Rameseum is a hill with tombs of many nobles including an early muslim holy man, Sheikh Abd el-Qurna Many of the homes, most of mud-brick, house some of the descendants of the entreprenurial individuals, who learned the secrets of the royal tombs, sought out and sold untold treasures to Europeans, who were anxious to collect antiquities.
The Village is called Gurna. In Gurna, British Egyptologist, Caroline has endeavored to preserve a part of the history of the Gurna community and 19th century excavations in the Valley of the Kings.
Over a period of time, artist Robert Hay, sketched panaoramas of the work in the Valley of the Kings. Caroline Simpson has established an exhibit of the work at Omda House, itself in the village. Mohammed, her assistant, kindly agreed to open the exhibit after hours, and show us around.
Hay Panoramas
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A pictorial bargain, full of color photography and diagrams and descriptions, The Complete Guide to The Valley of the Kings will give you a sense of the magnificense of the Valley of the Kings. Click on the image, left.
For a comprehensive text on The Valley and all of the monuments in the Luxor area, follow the link below:
Thebes in Egypt
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