Valley of the Kings
in Upper Egypt contains many of the tombs of pharaohs
from the New Kingdom, including Tutankhamun and
Ramesses the Great.
The Valley of the Kings actually has two
components - the East Valley and the West Valley. It
is the East Valley which most tourists visit and in
which most of the tombs of the New Kingdom Pharaohs
can be found.
(The West Valley has only one remote tomb open to the
public, that of Ay who was Tutankhamun's successor.)
One of the dilemmas for the normal tourist is
trying to decide which tombs to enter. The normal
ticket permits three tombs and that will probably
suffice for one visit. If you rush, you won't
appreciate or remember the details of each tomb. The
tomb of Tutankhamun (KV62) requires a separate ticket.
Not all tombs are open and officials occasionally
close particular tombs for restoration. The style of
the tombs did undergo changes throughout the New
Kingdom and one should try to see examples from the
span of 500 years that the Valley was in use.
The tomb of Tuthmose III is at the far end of
the East Valley and is one of the earliest in the
Valley. Its burial chamber is in the shape of a
cartouche (oval-shaped) and its inscriptions are
interspersed with stick figures. The climb up the
modern metal staircase outside and then the descent
into the tomb will give you a very good physical
workout - but it's worth it!
Horemheb's tomb
shows a transition through to the Ramesside-style of
tombs. Just a little further down the main path is the
tomb of Ramesses III. While in a state of ruin deep
within (the burial chamber is off limits), it is
definitely worth a visit and one of the small side
chambers contains the famous paintings of two blind
harpists.
Ramesses VI's tomb has a magnificent burial
chamber in which lie the broken remains of the large
stone sarcophagus. Along the length of the chamber's
ceiling are two images of the sky goddess Nut which
depict both the swallowing and rebirth of the sun
disc.
Adjacent to Ramesses VI's tomb is that of
Tutankhamun described in detail by following the
highlighted link.
In recents years, considerable attention has
been given to KV5, the extensive tomb of the sons of
Ramesses II. The work of Kent Weeks and his team has
uncovered well over 100 rooms in the sprawling
complex. The tomb is not open to the public. The full
story of the discovery of KV5 is related in Week's
book The Lost Tomb.