Cross the Nile River to visit the Valley of Kings and Queens. Over 60 royal tombs have been uncovered here, covering the 18
th
, 19
th
, and 20
th
Dynasties. Among these chambers the tomb of Tutankhamun was uncovered. Lunch is provided on this day.
The
Valley of the Kings
(
Arabic
: وادي الملوك
Wādī al-Mulūk
, less often وادي بيبان الملوك
Wādī Bībān al-Mulūk
; "Valley of the Gates of the Kings")
[1]
is a
valley
in
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
Eighteenth
to the
Twentieth Dynasties
of
Ancient Egypt
).
[2]
[3]
The valley stands on the west bank of the
Nile
, opposite
Thebes
(modern
Luxor
), within the heart of the
Theban Necropolis
.
The area has been a focus of
archaeological
and
egyptological
exploration since the end of the eighteenth century, and its tombs and burials continue to stimulate research and interest. In modern times the valley has become famous for the discovery of the
tomb
of
Tutankhamun
(with its rumours of the
Curse of the Pharaohs
[7]
), and is one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world. In 1979, it became a
World Heritage Site
, along with the rest of the Theban Necropolis.
[
Valley of the Kings and Queens
On the west bank, over the tops of the cliffs behind the Temple of the Queen of Hatshepsut is a valley in which over 60 royal tombs have been found. The valley is called the Valley of the Kings and is probably the most impressive of all the sites in Thebes. The pharaohs and rulers who were buried in the Valley of the Kings reigned during the Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth Dynasties.
During the Seventeenth Dynasty the queens were buried in small tombs in the Valley of the Kings near the pharaohs’ tombs. When Ramses I buried his wife Seta he chose a new valley, now known as the Valley of the Queens. It is located in the southern end of the Necropolis and close to the Theban Hills.
End Notes:
Lamar C Berrett, Discovering the World of the Bible, Thomas Nelson Publisher, Tennessee, 1979, p. 89, 94-95.