VALLEY OF THE KINGS - The secret Valley of the Kings is on the West bank of the Nile at Luxor (Thebes). It was a complex of burial chambers for the Pharaohs from Tutmose I and great pains were taken to ensure the site was kept secret.
This was generally unsuccessful and the tombs were plundered quite early in their existence. The wall paintings still remains vibrant and brightly coloured to this day.
The image of the Sacred Lotus - in fact a water lily - is shown in many of the scenes depicted in the tombs. It was revered as it responded to daylight by opening and then closing again at night. The darkness of night was feared because of demons which were kept away by the Goddess Nut.
| Valley of the Kings in hieroglyphs |
Translation:
Place of Truth, The Maat -
symbolised by a feather |
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The tomb of Tutankhamun is famous as it was the only tomb found intact as it evidently had remained hidden until its discovery in 1922. This was in fact a very minor Pharaoh who was murdered at the age of 18 - the treasures in the other tombs must have been quite unimaginable.
There is very little to see above ground except on the other side of a ridge. There is the magnificent funerary complex built for Queen
Hatshepsut and her father Tutmose I which is situated at the foot of massive rock cliffs and faces the rising sun.
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| A small part of the brightly coloured murals in one of the tombs in The Valley of the Kings |
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Multiple repetition of the Pharaoh's cartouche to reassure him of his return to the correct tomb! |
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| The magnificent paintings in the corridor of a tomb in the Valley of the Kings |
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The paintings on the end wall of the main burial chamber deep in the tomb. |
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| Breakfast for the donkey handlers high above Queen Hatshepsut's Funerary Temple |
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The very moment of sunrise right above Queen Hatshepsut's Funerary Temple |
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An early morning view of Queen Hatshepsut's impressive Funerary Temple
[Site of the tragic massacre of tourists in 1997] | |
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Looking down on the funerary complex from the escarpment |
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| From the Funerary Temple looking up to the imposing escarpment above. |
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View of the valley and the escarpment towering above the funerary temple |
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| Looking west from Luxor to the towering escarpment and Deir El-Bahri Valley |
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