Valley of the Kings travel guide

Find magnificent rock tombs

Valley of Kings (Biban el-Muluk) which is dominated by a natural rock pyramid. It is named after the 62 magnificently decorated rock tombs established here by the kings of the 18th, 19th, and 20th dynasties. Unlike the earlier pyramid tombs, they were hewn into the rock as passages and were intended only to hold the coffins, while the temples dedicated to the cult of the dead were built on the plains. From the entrance, three subsequent corridors normally lead down into the depths. The first sometimes has small side chambers; the second and third have alcoves to hold grave goods. Beyond the vestibule is the main hall, often supported by pillars, where the large granite coffin rested in a hollow in the floor. There are adjacent secondary rooms. According to the beliefs of the time, the deceased king rode through the underworld on a barque with the sun god at night; therefore the text and images placed on the walls usually described this journey and gave the dead the required directions.Egyptian Books of the Dead as templatesMost of the narrations and images on the walls of the tombs come from two related books. One is the Book of What Is in the Underworld.. The book is divided into twelve sections which correspond to the twelve night hours of the underworld (Duat). Each of them depicts the river in the centre, with the ram-headed sun god surrounded by his entourage riding on the barque of the sun and bestowing light and life around him for a short time.
Don't miss: Tomb no. 6 Ramses IX, Tomb no. 8 Merenptah, Tomb no. 9 Ramses VI, Tomb no. 11 Ramses III, Tomb no. 16 Ramses I, Tomb no. 17, Tomb no. 17 Seti I, Antechamber, Tomb no. 34 Tuthmosis III, Tomb no. 35 Amenhotep II, Tomb no. 62 Tutankhamun, Funerary Temple of King Mentuhotep

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