Valley of the Kings
Site#ES.VK.1
DescriptionThe Valley of the Kings, or Wadi el-Muluk in Arabic, is a valley in Egypt where tombs were built for the Pharaohs and powerful nobles of the New Kingdom, the Eighteenth through Twentieth Dynasties of Ancient Egypt.The valley is located at 25°44'N 32°36'E. It stands on the west bank of the Nile, across from Thebes (modern Luxor), under the peak of the pyramid-shaped mountain Al-Qurn. It is separated into the East and West Valleys, with most of the important tombs in the East Valley. The West Valley has only one tomb open to the public: the tomb of Ay, Tutankhamun's successor. There are a number of other important burials there, including that of Amenhotep III, but these are still being excavated and are not publicly accessible.
The official name for the site was The Great and Majestic Necropolis of the Millions of Years of the Pharaoh, Life, Strength, Health in The West of Thebes, or more usually, Ta-sekhet-ma'at (the Great Field)[1].
The Valley was used for primary burials from approximately 1539 BC to 1075 BC, and contains some 64 tombs, starting with Thutmose I and ending with Ramesses X or XI.
The Valley of the Kings also had tombs for the favorite nobles and the wives and children of both the nobles and pharaohs. Around the time of Ramesses I (ca. 1300 BC) the Valley of the Queens was begun, although some wives were still buried with their husbands.
Most of the open tombs in the Valley of the Kings are located in the East Valley, and this is where most tourists can be found.
KV2KV2 – Tomb of Ramesses IV
KV4 – Tomb of Ramesses XI
KV5 – Tomb of Sons of Ramesses II
The recently rediscovered tomb of some of the sons of Ramesses II. With 120 known rooms and excavation work still underway, it is probably the largest tomb in the valley. It is not currently open to the public.
KV6KV6 – Tomb of Ramesses IX
KV7 – Tomb of Ramesses II
The ruined tomb of Ramesses the Great is not open to the public, as it is currently undergoing excavation and conservation by a Franco-Egyptian team led by Christian Leblanc[3].
KV8KV8 – Tomb of Merenptah
The tomb of Merenptah is one of the tombs that can be viewed by the public, although in 2005 it was not open.
KV9 – Tomb of Ramesses V and Ramesses VI
Also known as the Tomb of Memnon or La Tombe de la Métempsychose, this is the tomb of Ramesses V and Ramesses VI.
KV11KV11 – Tomb of Ramesses III
The tomb of Ramesses III (or Bruce's Tomb, The Harper's Tomb) is one of the largest tombs in the valley, and is open to the public, it is located close to the central 'rest–area', and is usually one of the tombs visited by tourists.
KV14 – Tomb of Twosret, later reused by Setnakhte
KV15 – Tomb of Seti II
KV16 – Tomb of Ramesses I
KV17 – Tomb of Seti I
The tomb of Seti I and is also known as Belzoni's tomb, the tomb of Apis, or the tomb of Psammis, son of Necho.
KV34KV34 – Tomb of Thutmose III
KV35 – Tomb of Amenhotep II
This tomb was originally the tomb of Amenhotep II. Over a dozen mummies, many of them royal, were later relocated here (see list).
KV39 – Tomb of Amenhotep I
KV43KV43 – Tomb of Thutmose IV
KV46 – Tomb of Yuya and Tjuyu
The tomb of the nobles Yuya and Tjuyu, who were possibly the parents of Queen Tiy. Until the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun, this was the best preserved tomb to be found in the Valley.
KV47 – Tomb of Siptah
KV55 – Possible Amarna Period Mummy cache
The tomb maybe another mummy cache, and has the possible burials of several Amarna Period royals – Tiy and Smenkhkare/Akhenaten.
KV57 – Tomb of Horemheb
KV62KV62 – Tomb of Tutankhamun
Perhaps the most famous discovery of modern Western archaeology was made here by Howard Carter on November 4, 1922, with clearance and conservation work continuing until 1932. King Tutankhamun's tomb was the first royal tomb to be discovered that was still largely intact (although tomb robbers had entered it), and was, until the excavation of KV63 in 2006, considered the last major discovery in the valley. The opulence of his grave goods notwithstanding, Tutankhamun was a rather minor king and other burials probably had more numerous treasures. Some members of the archaeological teams led by Carter and later archaeologists contracted local lethal viruses through food or animals (particularly insects), resulting in the infamous "Curse of the Pharaohs" modern legend.
KV63 – Unknown tomb discovered on 10 March 2005[4].
KV64 – Radar anomaly believed to be a tomb or chamber.
Panoramic view of the Valley
West Valley
The numbering the West Valley follows in sequence to that of the East Valley, and there are only four known tombs and several pits in this branch of the valley.
WV22 – Tomb of Amenhotep III
This is the tomb of one the greatest rulers of the Egyptian New Kingdom, Amenhotep III. It has recently been re–investigated, but is not open to the public.
WV23 – Tomb of Ay
The reconstructed tomb of Ay is the only tomb that is open to the public in the West Valley.
WV25 – Possible Theban tomb of Akhenaten
This tomb may have been started as the Theban burial of Akhenaten, but it was never finished.
[edit] Deir el-Bahri
Royal mummy cache
While this tomb is not strictly in the Valley of the Kings, it contained an astounding mummy cache. It is located in the cliffs overlooking Hatshepsut's famous temple at Deir el-Bahri, was found to contain many of Egypt's most famous pharaohs. They were found in a great state of disorder, many placed in other people's coffins, and several are still unidentified.