Luxor Travel, Tours & Nile Cruises – Ancient Monuments Overload
The Valley of the Kings is a renowned attraction of ancient Egypt. It is a valley located in Luxor, Egypt where, for a period of nearly 500 years from the 16th to 11th century BC, tombs were constructed for the Pharaohs and powerful nobles of the New Kingdom. The location was the political and religious capital of the New Kingdom, and was first used as a royal necropolis by Thutmosis I, although it was his predecessor, Amenhotep I, who was considered the patron-god of the valley by the actual builders of the tombs.
Two Main Branches
The Kings Valley has two main branches: the East Valley, where most of the royal tombs are situated, and the West Valley, which contains only the tombs of Amenhotep III and Ay, and some pits.
Tombs of the New Kingdom
With the 2006 discovery of a new chamber (KV63), and the 2008 discovery of 2 further tomb entrances, the valley is known to contain 63 tombs and chambers, and was the principal burial place of the major royal figures of the Egyptian New Kingdom, together with those of a number of privileged nobles.
The royal tombs are decorated with scenes from Egyptian mythology and give clues to the beliefs and funerary rituals of the period. All of the tombs seem to have been opened and robbed in antiquity, but they still give an idea of the opulence and power of the rulers of this time.
Saving the Royal Mummies
In an effort to save the royal mummies of these attractions from destruction, and to salvage the remaining treasures of the royal tombs, the priests of the end of the 20th and the 21st Dynasty opened the tombs, collected the mummies and buried them in two or more “caches”.
The first “cache” was a rock tomb high up in the mountains of Deir el-Bahri that was probably intended as the family tomb of the 21st Dynasty king-priests. The second “cache” was the tomb of 18th Dynasty king Amenhotep II.
An Unidentified Cache?
Not every royal mummy of the New Kingdom has been found, so there is room for the hypothesis that there may have been a third “cache” which has not yet been identified as such or which has not yet been discovered.
Most of the tombs are not open to the public (18 of the tombs can be opened, but they are rarely open at the same time), and officials occasionally close those that are open for restoration work. The number of visitors to KV62 has led to a separate charge for entry into the tomb.
The West Valley has only one open tomb—that of Ay—and a separate ticket is needed to visit this tomb.
The tour guides are no longer allowed to lecture inside the tombs and visitors are expected to proceed quietly and in single file through the tombs. This is to minimize time in the tombs and prevent the crowds from damaging the surfaces of the decoration. Photography is no longer allowed in the tombs.
The Valley of the Kings is an authoritative ancient attraction and therefore included in all Luxor Tours.
The Classical Cairo Luxor Tour is a short and sweet five day experience that introduces visitors to some of the most famous historic sites in Cairo and Luxor. It is flexible private tour of Cairo and Luxor and can be customized to your exact likings…