Valley of the Kings

Most of Egypt’s New Kingdom pharaohs were buried in the Valley of the Kings. During the New Kingdom, Egypt had an empire that stretched from the eastern Mediterranean coast to the Nile Delta (the 18th, 19th, and 20th dynasties). Among the kings who were buried there were Thutmose III, Tutankhamun, and Ramses.

During the Old and Middle Kingdoms, the rulers of Egypt were buried in pyramids that were built in the north of Egypt, near the capital city of Memphis. Once the last pyramid was built, Egypt fell apart, and the pharaohs eventually lost power. The Hyksos were an Asian tribe that took over the Delta area and left the south of the kingdom to be ruled by a dynasty in Thebes. Egypt was basically cut in half.

Why is it so important to go to the Valley of the Kings?

As was usual, the princes of Thebes were buried on the west bank of the city. The Theban kings who became pharaohs decided to make Thebes the new capital and stop building pyramids because they were too big and easy to steal if no one was looking. They wanted to put their mummies to rest in a quieter, more remote place where no one could get close and they would be safer.

On the west side of Thebes, they found the right place. It was a small, lonely valley with a lot of room for digging graves. The path to get there was very narrow. Today, we call it the Valley of the Kings.

Why did the Egyptians move the Valley of the Kings if it was so bad?

The change was important because it was at the same time that they decided to put the tomb with the mummy on one side and the temple where they would do the daily funeral ritual on the other side. Still, the pyramids were very popular, as shown by the fact that the Valley of the Kings is at the base of a mountain that looks like a pyramid.

Valley of the Kings location.

Valley of the Kings in Egypt is without a doubt one of the most important archaeological sites in the world. The pharaohs were the only people who could be buried there. It is near the top of Luxor on the western side of the Nile. It is at the base of the Al-Qurn, a pyramid-shaped building.

In the Valley of the Kings, how many tombs are there?

In the Valley of the Kings, tombs are numbered in the order that they were discovered. The last one was Tutankhamen’s, so there were 62 in all. Egyptologists can tell which ones they are by their number and the letters VK in front of it, which stand for “King Valley.” These tombs are in the Valley of the Kings and hold the bodies of famous people from history.

Even though they are all different, the tombs in the Valley of the Kings can be roughly put into two groups based on how they were built. At the start of the older ones, there is a straight hallway that quickly gets very steep. The burial room is at the end of a set of stairs and hallways that end with a turn to the left. During the 18th dynasty, these tombs were built. The second type of tomb

looks like a long tunnel and is completely straight, with steps, hallways, and chambers all lined up one after the other. This kind of tomb was often built between the 19th and 20th Dynasties.There are beautiful murals on the tombs in the Valley of the Kings.

No matter what kind of tomb it is, it will have reliefs and objects from the Book of the Dead and other funeral books to decorate it. These writings are like a map to the Other World. They tell the pharaoh where to go and how to get there, despite the dangers that might be there.

The Valley of the Kings’ Tombs

All of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings were part of larger burial grounds for royal people. So, the tomb, which was meant to hold the pharaoh’s body and his burial goods, was always connected to a temple along the Nile, where the funeral rites were carried out.

As part of a ritual before building, people put gifts and other tools in holes. Objects found in tombs in the Valley of the Kings show that this was done.

The area where the tomb was going to be built was then cleared of trash, and the stonemasons got to work. The tombs were dug out of the soft limestone that was found along the valley walls. The quality of the limestone varied a lot from one place to the next.

It wasn’t always possible to take the stones out, and when they were found in cracks in the rock, the plan had to be changed.

To stop shady dealings, each tool loan and return was carefully written down in some documents. Chisels can be taken out and sent back to be sharpened without much trouble.

As the stonemasons chipped away at the walls of the tomb, they used makeshift baskets to carry away the broken pieces.

After the first passage, the painters were done and the walls were ready to be decorated. If the stone was good, a thin layer of plaster was enough to cover it, but if it wasn’t, the walls had to be leveled, and the.

1- Ramesses VII

The KV1 tomb of Pharaoh Ramesses VII was found in the Valley of the Kings, which is on the western bank of the Nile and not far from Luxor. The first tomb you see when you enter the Valley of the Kings is that of the sixth pharaoh of the 20th dynasty.

Since Ramesses VII was not a very important king during the 20th dynasty, we don’t know much about him beyond the fact that his coronation name was Ramesses VII and that he ruled from 1136 to 1129 B.C. It is thought that he was Ramesses VI’s son, and when he died, one of his uncles would take his place instead of one of his sons.

The tomb KV1 has a straight axis that faces east, just like the other royal tombs from the 19th and 20th dynasties. But, unlike the other tombs, it is in a remote part of the valley called the Valley of the Tomb of Ramesses VII. Because of this, it didn’t get as many tourists as the other tombs in the valley.

The ramp, hallway, and burial chamber of KV1 are all there and in good shape, but the tomb’s second chamber, which was never finished because the ruler died too soon, is not.

In the corridor B, there are pictures from the Book of the Caverns and the Opening Ritual of the Mouth of the Dead. In the burial chamber J, there are words from the Book of the Earth, and in the burial chamber K, there are decorations from the Book of the Death. This is one of the smallest royal burials in the whole necropolis.

On the room’s ceiling are pictures of vultures and astronomical patterns, and on the walls are pictures of the most important gods, such as Osiris, Ra-Horajti, and Nut.

2- Ramesses IV:

There are several royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings. One of them is Ramesses IV’s Even though it’s big, this tomb doesn’t have a burial hole. Instead, it’s just a straight tunnel.

Coptic and Greek writing from long ago was found on the walls of this building, which was likely a home at one point. At the front door, there are two ramped steps that lead to the hallways. Through one of the hallways, which

first leads to an antechamber, you can get to the tomb itself. It’s a tomb that doesn’t have any extra rooms on the side. The hallways are not all the same length or width.

3- King Tut

On the walls are pictures of the king being crowned and of the goddesses Isis and Nephtys worshipping the sun disc. Scenes from different parts of The Litany of Ra are shown in the first two hallways You might see vultures, hawks, and flying bugs on the roofs. In the third hallway, which has a ceiling with simple stars that turns into a vault, we reach the second part of the Book of the

Caves. Scenes from the Book of the Dead, specifically from Chapter 125, where the relevant passage is found, are painted on the walls of the entrance hall. The sarcophagus from the second, third, and fourth hours of the Book of the Doors is still there in the small tomb. The ceiling has pictures from the Book of Nut and the Book of the Night Behind the tomb, in the rooms that connect to it,

you can find the first part of the Book of the Caverns In the other painted parts of this outbuilding, you can see things like beds, altars, and canopy glasses that are used for funerals Inside the tomb, you won’t find any pillars or statues of Amduat.

4- tomb of Ramesses IX

Ramesses IX, who was king for 18 years, is buried in the last beautiful tomb in the Valley of the Kings (1125 – 1107). His body had been hidden in a tomb at Deir el-Bahari. The tomb was dug up. When it comes to the building business In a moving picture from Ramesses IX’s tomb, the king is shown bringing sacrifices to the goddess of the Theban peak who watches over the Valley of the

Kings. This goddess is called “the one he loves alone.”
The reliefs on Ramses IX’s tomb are in danger of being destroyed because of mistakes that were very careless. This and other important landmarks need to be fixed as soon as possible.
He is Ramses II’s third son with Queen Setnofret and her thirteenth child overall. The tombs of Ramesses I XIV and Merneptah  Merneptah are named after him.

Merenptah became king when he was 55 or 60 years old. His older brothers had died, and he had shared power with his father for 12 years.
During Ramses II’s rule, Merenptah worked his way up through the ranks of the royal government and the army to become the second-in-command of both.

5- Merneptah

Merenptah’s tomb is much smaller than that of his well-known father, Ramesses II. There are three sloping hallways that lead to a small room and a columned hall with a chamber off to one side It has a central staircase that leads down to a hallway with a sloped floor and a room with a second staircase that leads to the crypt. About 165 metres is how long the tomb is. Large columns that held

up a high burial chamber used to be decorated The Litanies of Ra, the Book of Gates (the last chapter of which can be seen in part on the north wall of the tomb), the Book of the Dead, the Book of

the Earth, the Book of Caverns (or Book of the Underworld), the opening of the mouth ritual, and pictures of the dead with gods are all inside the tomb On the roof of the tomb, there are astrological signs. The floods did a lot of damage to the pillars. Almost everything was gone outside the columned hall, except for what was up high on the ceiling.

6- Seti II (King) Tomb – Merneptah (KingSon )’s.

Seti II’s Tomb In the southwest corner of the Valley of the Kings, the tombs of Seti II and his wife Taousert were found close to each other Graffiti found inside the tomb shows that it was opened a long time ago. Starting in the 18th century, it was often visited by Europeans. Even though Carter tried to find out more about the tomb at the turn of the 20th century, there are still many

questions about how it was built, how it was decorated, and what it was used for Seti II’s Tomb | KV15 would not be finished after he died because he only ruled for a short time The carvings and paintings in the first corridor of the tomb are of high quality, but the rest of the tomb looks like it was put together quickly. Due to the fact that construction is done, the tomb is simple and small.

Over time, the pharaoh’s body would have been moved to keep his remains from being stolen over and over again. But it was still out of place, and the only way to identify the mummy was through the amulets that had been kept.

7- Seti II’s Tomb.

The best way to learn about the history of the Valley of the Kings is with a private Egyptologist tour guide who can point out details that would be missed otherwise.

Egypt Nile cruise packages are the best private accessiable tours of Egypt. They will take you to all the best places to see in Luxor, like the Valley of the Queens, the Colossi of Memnon, and the Temple of Hatshepsut.

Please note that the standard ticket gives you access to all three tombs you choose, except for Tutankhamun and Seti I, which require their own tickets.