| Valley of the Nobles tips and photos posted by real travelers and Luxor locals. • 43 Photos
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 The Musicians by sayedaburas
The instruments from right to left are, a double flute, a lute and a harp.
Such instruments were frequently shown in other scenes in tomb of Amnemhat, at Thebes.
Such long lute might give the impression of a Greek modern "bouzoucki", also it is quite familiar now in Turkey.
Another ancient Egyptian scene of semi nudism can be seen also at the British Museum. (the musicians and dancers, which show a sort of folkloric dance or rather belly dance). Leave a Comment Address: Luxor, west bankPhone: +20101888443Directions: Upper Egypt
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The unfinished tomb of Ramose is the perhaps the most interesting of the tombs here. Governor of Thebes during reigns of Amenophis III and Akhenaten, the tomb was apparently abandoned during construction when the monotheistic worship of Aten by Akhenaten decided to move the capitol to a new city at Tell al-Amarna. Thus, the artwork, extraordinary in it's refined workmanship shows various stages of production. There is a unfinished charcoal sketch and unpainted basreliefs. One work is the beautiful representation of a funeral procession, showing women weeping. The equality of status of men and women are shown in masterful detail of Ramose his wife and other relatives. The tomb is well lit, but photography of such clean and unfinished basreliefs is particularly difficult. The images here though are only slightly enhanced by computer. Leave a Comment
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Lonely Planet points out that the tombs of the Nobles, situated as they are among buildings of rather poor neighborhood in the village of Qurna, are some of the least visited tombs in the West Bank. Walking through town, we were surrounded by charming children whose limited English vocabulary was surprisingly well pronounced. The children begged us to buy these pitiful little charm dolls. I recall one girl about age 10, whose portrait I regrettfully failed to take, with dark brown skin and blond hair. I believe that she probably typifies the appearance of an ancient Egyptian child. At the tomb of Userhet, the thob wearing guard offered to reflect light into the tomb with a shiny piece of copper. So these photos of winemaking, daily life, and Userhet hunting gazelles from a chariot are partly a reflection of the guards efforts. Userhet was a royal scribe to Amenophis II. Leave a Comment
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 toms between the houses of
Gurna by sacharaLeave a Comment Directions: West Bank near the Ramesseum in the village Gurna.
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Like Tombs of the Artisan's the Nobles tombs provide more of a view of real life in Egyptian times. This was the life of a poor agricultural worker, but rather of the work and family of a wealthy bureacrat. Khaemhet's tomb is marked as tomb #57 and is locked at night. The tomb has some wonderful reliefs, but the tomb was heavily damaged, perhaps by someone who lived there, because much of the art is heavily restored. Khaemhet was a court scribe and the walls of his tomb are richly decorated in heiroglyphics. He was also an inspector of granaries, under Amenophis III, and so the walls also depict in places agricultural life. At the far end of the tomb is a statue to two seated figures. The left one is greatly defaced, and is either Khaemhet's wife or the god of darkness. Khaemhet himself receives even at the corner some light shining on his face. Leave a Comment
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 Tomb of Userhat by Andrew_W_K
Among the most popular are Rekhmire, Ramose, Sennefer and Userhat. Each tomb has a "guardian" who is supposed to ensure you keep to the rules but they will let you take photos for a few pounds - don't use your flash as this damages the paintings.
The tombs are located across the road from the Ramesseum and you will need to pay a guide to escort you to each tomb. The price of the tickets is quite cheap, £30 Eygptian, but add on the cost of £50-70 for a guide and tips for the guardians and it soon adds up.
I would say I enjoyed them just as much as the Valley of the Kings and there were hardly any tourists here.
Just one thing to remember, you have to walk up a fairly steep hill and if it is a hot day it can be quite exhausting so go early in the morning, take a bottle of water and slap on the high factor sun block. Address: Old QurnaDirections: Ticket office is across the road from Old Qurna village and the tombs are opposite the Ramesseum.
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Lonely Planet writes that Prince Sennofer of Thebes, supervisor of the gardens at the Temple of Amun in Karnak under Amenophis II, is frequently depicted with his sister. Interestingly though, the relationship appears more romantic, and since Sennofer is clearly a black Nubian and the woman, whether his sister or wife, is a white Egyptian. In any case, the paintings of grapes and vines on the ceiling, Leave a Comment
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We've visited five tombs in the Valley of th Nobles. It was a great experience, as these tombs lay scattered in a 'valley' that is still inhabited. We were told that the governement wants the people to move, so they have no running water nor electricty. We bought tickets at a ticket boot outside the valley, near a cross roads. Check which tombs you want to visit.
We were dropped off at a parking place. You can try to find your own way, but we choose a guide to bring us to the various tombs. We agreed 30 pounds before hand ('money is not a problem, sir'. 'No, but for us it is') .
The tombs are very different, not as elaborate as the one's in The Valley of the Kings, but some were very remarkable. In every tomb is a caretaker willing to point out some details, but do not expect a long explanation. Have some 1 pounds notes ready and be prepared for an argument over the amount of money. In one tomb there was a man with a mirror outside and a man with a mirror on the inside, shining light on the pictures. Leave a Comment Address: Valley of the NoblesDirections: Cross the Nile with the ferry and hire a cab, a bicycle or walk to the ticket box, slightly up hill.
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The tombs I saved for last. After all, how interesting can they be, right? I did enjoy them, but they were bottom of my list of things to do. Most of the tombs were small amd required you to hike through the valleys. Once you've seen 2 or 3, you've pretty much have an idea what they all look like.
I started with the Nobles. I wanted a comparison scale of least to greatest. The Nobles are located in a village owned by the locals. The story I got from a local was that the government tried to relocate the villagers in order to capitalize on the tombs for tourism purposes. They built cheap homes elsewhere, relocated them, and cashed in on the tourists. When their homes fell down after a year, the locals moved back onto the tombs and have been here ever since. Since they receive no royalties from the government they offer their services as guides to the various tombs. The tombs can be difficult to find in the midst of all the decrepit buildings so it's not a bad idea to hire a guide. Of course you'll have to bargain.
Also you're not allowed to photograph in the tombs. It's not because you're liable to damage the paintings. You can always turn off the flash. I think it's to have exclusive rights over the pictures. A hint: if you want pictures use a digital camera. Turn off the flash, use the widest aperture possible to allow in the most amount of light. Turn off the sound too.
This trip should take about 1-2 hours to visit 3 tombs. Visit Tomb of Inherka (No 359), Tomb of Sennedjem (No 1), and Tomb of Peshedu (No 3).
When finished go to the Valley of the Queens. Leave a Comment
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 Painting in the tomb of
Userhat by Andrew_W_K
Seriously though, if you are going to take photos inside the tombs PLEASE supress your flash.
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