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Popular Things To Do | Other Things To Do Tips | All Tips (49) As the second of my three tombs I chose the tomb of Sety II which has the number KV15.
The entrance to KV 15, like that of his wife Tausert (KV14), is cut directly into the vertical cliff face at the head of the branch valley running southwest from the main valley.
The entrance to the tomb was cut into the cliff with projecting rubble-built side walls. These walls were smoothed over with a layer of white plaster, as elsewhere in the tomb.
Maximum height: 3.5 m
Mininum width: 2.17 m
Maximum width: 8.06 m
Total length: 88.65 m
Total area: 298.11 m²
Total volume: 816.53 m³
I suppose my choice was good because I was alone in the tomb, nobody bothered me and I could watch the drawings attentively.
You may examine this tomb here.
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According to your ticket you may choose 3 tombs among 62 tombs in the valley. Most of tourists usually go to the Tomb KV7 because it is one of the firsts. I’ve made the same. Now I think it was not the best choice because it was almost overcrowded with tourists.
Tomb KV7 in the Valley was the final resting place of Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Ramesses II ("Ramesses the Great"). It is located in the main valley, opposite the tomb of his sons, KV5, and near to the tomb of his son and successor, Merenptah, KV8.
KV7 follows the bent-axis plan of tombs. The burial chamber has a sunken central area and a vaulted ceiling. Much of the decoration has been damaged beyond repair – its section of the Valley is particularly susceptible to flash floods.
KV7 is one of the largest tombs in the Valley. Three sloping corridors lead to a well chamber and a pillared chamber with two side chambers. A central descent and two corridors lead to another chamber.
Maximum height: 5.82 m
Mininum width: 0.74 m
Maximum width: 13.06 m
Total length: 168.05 m
Total area: 868.4 m²
Total volume: 2286.43 m³
You may examine this tomb here .
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As the third of my three tombs I chose the tomb of Tausert and Setnakht which has the number of KV14.
The tomb entrance of KV14 is cut into the base of the cliff face at the end of the southwest branch of the main valley. The short open entryway is followed by three corridors decorated in sunken relief with scenes of the queen and her son.
Maximum height: 6.01 m
Minimum width: 0.89 m
Maximum width: 13.31 m
Total length: 158.41 m
Total area: 628.55 m²
Total volume: 2128.83 m³
The tomb was fully at my disposal and I walked there alone.
You may examine this tomb here .
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Tomb KV62 in Egypt's Valley of the Kings is the Tomb of Tutankhamun. It became famous for the wealth of treasure it contained. The tomb was discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter. He underneath the remains of workmen's huts built during the Ramesside Period. This explains why it was spared from the worst of the tomb depredations of that period.
The tomb was densely packed with items, but they were in great disarray. Carter was able to photograph garlands of flowers, which disintegrated when touched. Due to the state of the tomb, and to Carter's meticulous recording technique, the tomb took nearly a decade to empty, the contents all being transported to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
It is often said that Tutankhamun's tomb was never violated, but this is not true. In fact, it was entered at least twice, and not long after he was buried. There is clear evidence that the sealed doors were breached in the upper corners, and later resealed. It is estimated that 60% of the jewellery which had been stored in the so-called "Treasury" was removed (in my opinion 60% were added!).
You have to buy an additional ticket to enter this tomb. I didn’t make it. I was full of my three tombs. You may be not agreeing with me? Come on!
You may examine this tomb here .
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Often referred to as the Valley of the Nobles, this necropolis is not much of a valley. It is located on the lower slopes of the Theban desert hills facing the Nile Valley and is made up of a couple of large areas around the town of Old Gurna (Assasif, Old Gurna and Dra Abu'l Naga). This necropolis was the burial place for high officials and notables during the New Kingdom. Although their number exceeds royal ones (over 400), these tombs are much less elaborate, not only because they were not made for royals, but also the poor quality of the limestone in this area. Most of the tombs are painted with vivid colours and scenes. Many of these tombs are open to the public.
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Situated to the south of the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Queens was first used as a burial place for some princes and members of the royal family during the 18th Dynasty. It was not until the Ramesside period that this valley became the chosen burial place for the wives of the Pharaohs, most notably Queen Nefertari. Although smaller and less elaborate than the Valley of the Kings, the tombs are nevertheless impressive. Only three tombs are open to visitors, so this valley is usually skipped by tour groups, making it a much more pleasant experience than the overcrowded Valley of the Kings.
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The community of artisans who dedicated their life to the construction and decoration of nearby royal tombs in the Necropolis of Thebes resided in this small valley. Overtime, a sizeable village - now referred to as Deir el-Medina - developed specifically for the artisans and their families. It was uncovered by archeologists and is one of the few residential areas remaining intact from the Pharaonic period. Much like their royal superiors, these artisans were equally obsessed with the afterlife and utilised their advanced skills to build for themselves and their families simple, yet highly ornate, tombs in and around their village of Deir el-Medina. On the surface, the archeological area of Deir el-Medina looks like a Pompei of Ancient Egypt, except the painted walls and frescoes are found in tombs rather than in villas!
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The twin Colossi of Memnon once guarded the entrance of the mortuary temple of the 18th Dynasty pharoah, Amenhotep III. They were named "Memnon" by early Greek travellers who associated them with the son of Aurora. However, the statues are of Amenhotep III (accompanied by his mother in one and his wife in another) who, like other pharaohs of the new kingdom, built his mortuary temple in the Necropolis of Thebes (around 1350 BC). The two giant statues, measuring 23 metres in height, are all that remains of the temple. Amenhotep III is best known for the construction of the Temple of Luxor on the eastern bank of the Nile. For tourists today, the impressive colossi are frequently the first stop along a journey through the mortuary temples and tombs of the western bank of Thebes
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With desert cliffs towering above, Deir el-Bahri is the most dramatic of all temples in Thebes. In fact, it is a complex of mortuary temples and chapels built by several pharoahs from the Middle and New Kingdoms in the Necropolis of Thebes near the edge of the fertile valley. Its name, Deir el-Bahri, derives from the Christian monastery that was established within one of the temples in later periods (deir means monastery). The most famous and best preserved structure in the complex is the Temple of Hatshepsut, the first woman Pharaoh who ruled Egypt for 21 years during the 18th Dynasty (15th century BC). Hatshepsut is depicted as a man in her own mortuary temple as a show of strength - powerful enough to rule as a man!
More photos are shown in my tips and in the travelogue: Deir el-Bahri - Temple of Hatshepsut.
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Hidden behind the barren desert cliffs of the west bank of the Nile, the Valley of the Kings was the burial place for many of Ancient Egypt's kings. Although some kings were buried here as early as 2100 BC, it was not until the 18th Dynasty around 1500 BC that the Valley of the Kings gained its importance. Successive Pharaohs, including the famous Tutankhamun and Ramses, built elaborate tombs cut through the rocks and filled them with countless treasures for the afterlife. The choice of this hidden and largely inaccessible valley was deliberate to prevent tomb theft, but it also lay in the shadow of the symbolic al-Qurn mountain, which naturally looks like a pyramid. Visiting a couple of tombs in the Valley of the Kings is a must for any visitor to Luxor. Hopefully you are not with a tour group, in which case you will need to ensure that your taxi wait for you to take you to the next site.
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on June 26, 2007
on February 23, 2008
