Why did Tuthmosis change the tradition, then? The Valley is known not only for the enduring quality of its limestone, but for its network of natural caves and tunnels, as well as the natural ‘shelves’ which descend below a scree that leads to a bedrock floor. Valley of the Kings The Valley of the Kings is an Egyptian archaeological locality in the hills immediately behind the West Bank of Luxor.As such, it is one of the most remarkable archaeological destinations in the world - the burial place of most of the pharaohs of Egypt of the New Kingdom. b+='@' The entrance to the Valley of the Kings. The corridors then break off into the well decorated burial chamber, and multiple side chambers. © globetrotter_rodrigo - Tomb Wall Hieroglyphs. The Valley of the Kings is located in an area that consists of mixed-soil conditions. After around 1500 B.C. © Mohd Tarmizi - Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut. To get to the Valley of the Kings, even from the few hotels on the West Bank you will either need to take a tour, to arrange a car and driver, or to take a taxi who will wait while you visit the tombs. The earliest tombs located in the Valley of the Kings were opportunistically placed in naturally formed clefts, well-hidden in the crags of limestone bluffs or cliffs. For a period of over five hundred years (1539 to 1075 BC), the Valley of the Kings was a place used for entombment of Egyptian royalty, although the very name of the valley itself is somewhat misleading. Archaeologists have found around sixty-three tombs (with the latest discovery being in 2008) at this burial complex located in the hills of Dayr- al-Bahri. Valley of the Kings Facts. Even though most of the tombs that are located in this valley have been robbed and looted the remains of these ancient burial sites give archaeologists and historians an estimate of the power of ancient Pharaohs and noblemen. Unfortunately, this ploy did very little to deter foolhardy grave robbers who dared to risk any spiritual curse, for the sake of earthly gain. Past visitors recommended avoiding the area during the summer, since temperatures rise into the 100s. Or also, Ta-sekhet-ma’at (the Great Field). Once called the Great Necropolis of Millions of Years of Pharaoh, or the Place of Truth, the Valley of the Kings has 63 magnificent royal tombs. Without a doubt, the ancient Egyptian architects were far more advanced than anyone could have imagined. Here is a map of the Valley of the Kings: the tombs that are open, I circled in red to help you with planning your visit to each tomb. Kings had nice tombs, with all their important belongings, located next to their mortuary temples. escramble() The valley of the Kings; Once part of the ancient city of Thebes is the burial site of almost all of Egypt’s Pharaohs from the 18th, 19th and 20th dynasties. There is a number of unoccupied tombs in the Valley of the Kings and their owners remain unknown. That means that you will enter the tombs alone, without any other tourists. © Hannah Pethen - The Valley of the Kings. It was there that they were buried, for example, Thutmose III, Tutankhamun, and Ramses. Valley of the kings definition, a valley on the west bank of the Nile near the site of Thebes: the necropolis of many of the kings and queens of the 18th and 19th dynasties of … e='' To the south, towering over the valley, is a peak shaped like a pyramid, known as el-Qurn (the horn). On the West Bank of the Nile across from modern Luxor, cut into the Theban Hills, lies the Valley of the Kings (KV). Valley of the Kings You can also hire taxis from the West Bank ferry terminal. The first ruler of the twentieth dynasty, Setnakhte, had two tombs constructed for himself. thefield.value = "" Famous kings from this time period include Tutankhamun, Ramses II, Tuthmosis III, and Seti I, as well as Queen Nefertari, powerful nobles, and the wives and children of the pharaohs. Life as an Egyptian pharaoh came with some perks. The mummies of over 50 kings, queens, and assorted nobles were moved from the Valley of the Kings to this temple by priests during the 21st Dynasty to preserve them from looting and desecration by grave robbers. The curse of the pharaohs is nothing new, these were a commonplace ‘safeguard’ employed by Ancient Egyptians, in an attempt to strike fear into superstitious and highly religious commoners who entertained notions of robbing or desecrating their graves. The valley lies in the southern half of Egypt , just west of the Nile River . Pharaoh Ramses II lived a full life and was also buried here. On the west bank of the Nile lies the Valley of the Kings, a necropolis used to house the bodies and belonging of many pharaohs from Thutmose I all the way until Ramesses X or XI. The on-going excavation works are making use of state-of-the-art technologies to in search for new information at older tomb sites, as well as at locations within The Valley of The Kings that have not yet been explored. Properly referred to by scholars as ‘The Great and Majestic Necropolis of the Millions of Years of the Pharaoh, Life, Strength, Health in the West of Thebes’, or ‘The Great Field’ (Ta-sekhet-ma’at in ancient Egyptian and Coptic), it is also referred to as the Wadi al Muluk, or the Wadi Abwab al Muluk in Egyptian Arabic. While many of the tombs and chambers in the area were sacked by thieves, this one was intact and stocked full with treasures. function clearText(thefield){ Or also, Ta-sekhet-ma’at (the Great Field).Archaeologists have found that most of the ancient graffiti is located in KV9, which contains just under a thousand of them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9PAxAK6fBk, Fox News Host Tucker Carlson doesn’t believe Trump’s answers about UFOs, Researchers discover new 91-million-year-old giant shark species in Kansas. The most famed collection of such elaborate tombs—the Valley of the Kings—lies on the Nile's west bank near Luxor. Being deep in the heart of an arid, barren stretch of desert land, this was an ideal burial ground for ancient Egypt’s royalty, nobility, and all other social elite families that could afford a tomb, thanks in part due to its secluded nature. f='Contact' The Valley of the Kings was protected, for a time, by an elite order of guards called the medjay. The burial site of Tutankhamun is one of the most famous in the entire Valley of the Kings. The first unknown tomb since the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb is dubbed KV 63; even though it has a sarcophagus, pottery, linens, flowers, and other materials it is unoccupied. Valuable things as jewelry, statues, weapons and the Pharaoh’s chariot, were valuable finds, but the real treasure was the magnificently decorated sarcophagus, with the young king’s remains inside. b+='ancient-egypt-online.com' Tomb at Valley of the Kings. At the entrance of each tomb, there will be a man who will punch your ticket (you have the right to visit 03 tombs with the ticket (EGP 240)). The Valley of the Kings contains the tombs, or graves, of dozens of the royal rulers of ancient Egypt . The tomb of Horemheb is one of the most unique tombs in the Valley of the Kings exhibiting unique features compared to other tombs in the Valley, it is rarely open to the public. The official name for the site in ancient times was The Great and Majestic Necropolis of the Millions of Years of the Pharaoh, Life, Strength, Health in The West of Thebes. Instead, some belonged to influential people such as members of the royal household, wives, trusted advisers, nobles, and even some commoners. The Valley of the Kings is a valley nestled on the west bank of the River Nile at Luxor. Of all the known tombs found in the Valley, only eighteen tombs are open to the public, although none of them are ever truly open at the exact same time. Researchers state that the quality of the rock in the Valley is quite inconsistent, ranging from finely grained to coarse stone. © Jimmy Smith - Entrance to the Tomb of Ramses II.