- Arabic:
- WÄdÄ« Al-MulĆ«k
- Also called:
- Valley of the Tombs of the Kings or
- Arabic:
- WÄdÄ« BÄ«bÄn al-MulĆ«k
- Key People:
- Giovanni Battista Belzoni
- Richard Lepsius
- Howard Carter
- Related Topics:
- archaeology
- tomb
- November 4: The Discovery of Tutankhamunâs Tomb
- pharaoh
- Related Places:
- Valley of the Queens
- Egypt
- Karnak
- Luxor
Valley of the Kings
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What is the Valley of the Kings?
The Valley of the Kings is a narrow valley located west of the Nile River in Upper Egypt. It served as the burial site for pharaohs of the 18th, 19th, and 20th dynasties (1539â1075 BCE).
The tombs, numbering 62, vary in design and decoration and consist of a descending corridor, deep shafts, pillared chambers, and a burial chamber with a stone sarcophagus. The walls were adorned with sculptures and paintings depicting the deceased king with deities and magical texts to aid their journey through the netherworld. Although most tombs were looted in antiquity, the tomb of Tutankhamun escaped pillage and was discovered in 1922 with its treasures intact. In 1979, UNESCO recognized the valley as a World Heritage site as part of ancient Thebes.
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Where is the Valley of the Kings located?
The Valley of the Kings is a long, narrow area on the Nile River's west bank in Upper Egypt, once part of ancient Thebes. Almost all the kings (pharaohs) from the 18th, 19th, and 20th dynasties (1539â1075 BCE) were buried there.
In the hills behind Dayr al-Baងrī lie the 62 known tombs, which vary in design and decoration. In 1979, UNESCO designated the valley as part of the World Heritage site of ancient Thebes, which also includes Luxor, the Valley of the Queens, and Karnak.
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Why were pharaohs buried in the Valley of the Kings?
Pharaohs were buried in the Valley of the Kings during the New Kingdom period (c. 1539â1075 BCE) because they feared for the safety of their rich burials and adopted a plan to conceal their tombs in a remote valley in the western hills behind Dayr al-Baáž„rÄ«. The monumentality of the pyramid made it an obvious target for tomb robbers. The tombs were sunk deep into the heart of the mountain. The plan of the tombs varies, but essentially consists of a descending corridor interrupted by deep shafts to baffle robbers, pillared chambers, vestibules, and a burial chamber with a stone sarcophagus.
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What kinds of tombs are found in the Valley of the Kings?
The tombs in the Valley of the Kings vary significantly in plan and decoration. They generally consist of a descending corridor, often interrupted by deep shafts and pillared chambers, leading to a burial chamber with a stone sarcophagus.
The walls were typically adorned with sculptures and painted scenes depicting the deceased king with deities, especially those of the underworld, along with magical texts to aid their journey through the nether regions.
The largest and most complex tomb (number 5) is believed to contain the burial chambers of multiple sons of Ramses II. The longest tomb (number 20) belongs to Queen Hatshepsut, extending nearly 700 feet into the rock.
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How do archaeologists study the tombs in the Valley of the Kings?
Archaeologists study the tombs in the Valley of the Kings by examining the structure, decoration, and texts within the tombs to understand the beliefs and practices surrounding death and the afterlife in ancient Egypt.
The architecture of the tombs includes descending corridors, deep shafts, pillared chambers, and burial chambers with sarcophagi. The walls are covered with sculptures and painted scenes depicting the king with deities and magical texts to aid his journey through the nether regions. These texts, such as the "Book of That Which Is in the Underworld" and the "Book of Gates," provide insights into the ancient Egyptians' views of the afterlife, including the trials and perils the king had to overcome.
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What discoveries have been made in the Valley of the Kings, like King Tutankhamunâs tomb?
The Valley of the Kings, near Luxor, Egypt, served as the burial site for pharaohs of the New Kingdom from the 16th to 11th centuries BCE. In 1922, Howard Carter discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun, which remarkably escaped pillaging.
The treasures found within Tutankhamun's tomb, now housed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, include his golden coffin and mask, throne, ships, jewelry, and more, vividly illustrating the richness of pharaoh burials. The valley contains 62 known tombs, exhibiting diverse designs and decorations. The largest tomb belongs to Queen Hatshepsut, extending nearly 700 feet into the rock.
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Valley of the Kings, long narrow defile just west of the Nile River in Upper Egypt. It was part of the ancient city of Thebes and was the burial site of almost all the kings (pharaohs) of the 18th, 19th, and 20th dynasties (1539â1075 bce), from Thutmose I to Ramses X. Located in the hills behind Dayr al-Baáž„rÄ«, the 62 known tombs exhibit variety both in plan and in decoration. In 1979 UNESCO designated the valley part of the World Heritage site of ancient Thebes, which also includes Luxor, the Valley of the Queens, and Karnak.
The kings of the New Kingdom (c. 1539â1075 bce), fearing for the safety of their rich burials, adopted a new plan of concealing their tombs in a lonely valley in the western hills behind Dayr al-Baáž„rÄ«. There, in tombs sunk deep into the heart of the mountain, pharaohs were interred, as were several queens, a few officials of high rank, and the numerous sons of Ramses II. The plan of the tombs varies considerably but consists essentially of a descending corridor interrupted by deep shafts to baffle robbers and by pillared chambers or vestibules. At the farther end of the corridor is a burial chamber with a stone sarcophagus in which the royal mummy was laid and store chambers around which furniture and equipment were stacked for the kingâs use in the next world.
The walls were in many cases covered with sculptured and painted scenes depicting the dead king in the presence of deities, especially the gods of the underworld, and with illustrated magical texts similar to those found in funerary papyri, designed to help him on his journey through the nether regions. There were a number of these texts; they represent differing but not necessarily conflicting views of the afterlife, in which the king had to undergo trials and surmount perils. In the âBook of That Which Is in the Underworld,â for instance, he travels in the boat of the sun god through 12 divisions that represent the 12 hours of the night. In the âBook of Gates,â giant serpents guard the portals through which the sun has to pass as strange demons help or hinder the boat on its way. Other funerary compositions include the âBook of Dayâ and the âBook of Night,â which depict Nut, the sky-goddess, spread out across the heavens, as well as the âBook of the Heavenly Cow,â in which Nut is transformed into a cow on whom Re ascends to the firmament. Astronomical figures decorate the ceilings of several burial chambers.
Virtually all the tombs in the valley were cleared out in antiquity. Some had been partially robbed during the New Kingdom, but all were systematically denuded of their contents in the 21st dynasty, in an effort to protect the royal mummies and to recycle the rich funerary goods back into the royal treasury. In the time of Strabo (1st century bce), Greek travelers were able to visit 40 of the tombs. Several tombs were reused by Coptic monks, who left their own inscriptions on the walls. Only the little tomb of Tutankhamun (reigned 1333â23 bce), located on the floor of the valley and protected by a pile of rock chippings thrown down from a later Ramesside tomb, escaped pillage. The wonderful treasures that were exhumed from Tutankhamunâs tomb in 1922 and that now reside in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo vividly indicate how rich the burial of a great pharaoh of the empireâs heyday must have been. The longest tomb (number 20) belongs to Queen Hatshepsut (reigned c. 1472â58), whose burial chamber is nearly 700 feet (215 meters) from the entrance and descends 320 feet (100 meters) into the rock.
The largest and most complex tomb in the Valley of the Kings (number 5) was apparently built to contain the burial chambers of many of the sons of Ramses II (reigned 1279â13), the greatest king of the 19th dynasty. This tomb, which had been previously discovered but dismissed as insignificant, was again located in the late 1980s and partially excavated in the 1990s. The uppermost of the tombâs two levels contains a central pillared hall and various corridors leading away to dozens of chambers.