Valley of the Queens

The Valley of the Queens, as named by Champollion, is located to the southwest of the Valley of the Kings and is where numerous royal wives and children are buried. Even though it was utilized as a cemetery as early as the 18th Dynasty, it wasn’t until the reign of 19th Dynasty pharaoh Ramses I that royal women began to be buried here.

Among the almost eighty tombs in the valley, the most well-known belongs to Queen Nefertari [Read more about Ancient Egyptian pharaohs]; nevertheless, only a select few are accessible to visitors at any one time.

The Valley of the Queens and the Valley of the Kings are both parts of the necropolis of Old Thebes, which is situated near the city of Luxor on the western bank of the Nile.

 

The Valley of the Queens is home to:

1- The tomb of Amenherkhepshe

Until Nefertari’s tomb was reopened, the tomb of Ramses III’s son, Prince Amunherkhepshep (Amun), was the most impressive site in the Valley of the Queens. If Amun had lived, he would have succeeded his father as pharaoh and been buried in this royal tomb.

The burial hall, down a flight of stairs from the entryway, is decorated with stunning, vividly colored wall murals depicting Ramses and his infant son paying respect to the gods of the underworld.

You can always tell it’s Amun because of his braided hair. The bones of a five-month-old fetus are on display in a glass case in a burial chamber reached by a passageway adorned with the Keepers of the Gates. Other burial sites have also yielded fetuses, which may have been deposited there as part of a rebirth ceremony.

2- The Tomb of AmenhotepTanedjemet

Despite the fact that Egyptologists and archaeologists have uncovered a wealth of information about ancient Egypt, a great deal still remains unknown. Hidden locations, mysterious writings, and even the graves of previously unknown individuals are sometimes uncovered, shaking up the pecking order of dynastic rulers.

Tanedjemet is an example of this; she was a princess and queen who may have existed in the 19th dynasty, however, this is not proven.

Before a little tomb was discovered in the Valley of the Queens, nobody knew its name. It’s the QV33 mausoleum. Egyptologists were unable to place the mummy in a certain time period since they had no documentation or depiction of the enigmatic lady. This led some to assume it was from the 20th Dynasty, but they have now settled on the 19th.

Its name suggested it may be the offspring of the Great Royal Wife, Queen Mutnedjmet, and the late pharaoh Horemheb of Egypt’s Eighteenth Dynasty. Tanedyemy would have played a crucial part in the dynastic shift if these facts, which are simply theories at this point, are accurate since she would have married a pharaoh of the succeeding dynasty.

The lack of male offspring in her father’s family might explain this. Therefore, Ramesses I, his vizier, was the only person who could arrange a succession. Though a monarch may choose his successor at will, there must be some blood ties between the two. Therefore, it should not have come as a surprise that the chosen man would wed one of Pharaoh’s daughters.

Although Ramses I’s tomb indicates that he was married to a Great Royal Wife, he was really too old to have children, and today he is best remembered via his longtime partner, Sitra.

That’s why it’s possible that Tanedyemy wed Ramses I’s son Sethy I instead.

This narrative, like many others, has been dormant for ages in the tomb-strewn valleys of ancient Egypt, and unfortunately, the passage of time makes it impossible to uncover any new information about it.

3- Khaemwaset Tomb in the Valley of the Queens

QV 44 in the Valley of the Queens on the western bank of Luxor (ancient Thebes) is the burial site of Khaemwese, a son of Ramesses III. There were several sarcophagi stacked in the foyer when it was found in the early 20th century. Having been used for mass burials, this was an obvious tell.

Khaemweset’s position as Memphis’s Priest of Ptah was among his most prestigious. The reliefs in the Temple of Medinet Habu attest to his status as a “Sem Priest” and other significant roles he played in society.

Khaemweset was likely the eldest son of Ramesses III; recent evidence suggests that his mother was likely Queen Tyti; however, his parentage remains unknown because he did not ascend to the throne. Khaemweset likely did not die during the reign of Ramesses III, but rather during that of his brother, Ramses IV.

The tomb’s walls are decorated with low-relief carvings, and the vibrant, still-vibrant paint job is both striking and sophisticated. This tomb is aligned in a straight line, with the entry corridor leading down to the first major hall and a vestibule. When you enter, look to your left to see a statue of Ptah, then a tableau of Ramesses III and Khaemwaset worshipping Anubis and Re Harajty. The king and Khaemwaset are seen delivering incense offerings to Geb on the right wall of this chamber, before being welcomed by the deity Shu.

Once inside the tomb, the first thing one sees to their left is chapters 145 and 146 of the Book of the Dead. In still another picture, we see Ramses III, then the prince, and in yet another, we see the geniuses who manned the gates of Osiris’ dominion.

4- Temple of Nefertari

The outer hall has a square form and has a seat for placing the casket on, as well as an inscription from the Book of the Dead and other sceneries.

The monarch sits atop a throne on the left and raises what looks like a wand or staff in her right hand. In another of the scenarios described, a bird with the Queen’s head emerges, it is the Egyptian depiction of the individual soul.

The sun disc appears between two lions, representing the past and the future, while the bird “Benu” depicts the holy bird of Heliopolis as the Queen kneels before it with her hands lifted in worship.

Scenes of a coffin carrying a jackal and surrounded by mummy figures exist on each side of the sanctuary, which is dedicated to the goddesses Isis and Nephthys.

Images of Nefertari paying homage to the deity Thot may be seen on the west wall, and to her left is a massive Book of the Dead inscription.

Nefertari delivers two cups of milk to the goddesses Isis and Hathor when she enters the tomb from the outside hall. The hallway leading to the tomb is elegantly ornamented, and the upper sections of the corridors are grouped in the same fashion.

This passageway is the last stop on the way to the tomb after the funeral ritual has concluded.

The burial chamber is a wide rectangular space with four massive pillars, on one side are two chambers and a tiny internal room, whose purpose is unclear

The walls of the entryway to the burial chamber are painted with four goddesses and inscriptions from the Book of the Dead. Nefertari, embalmed like an ancient Egyptian queen, is shown on one of the room’s walls.