Valley of the Kings, Egypt

Map of the Valley of the Kings, Egypt
The Valley of the Kings is the burial place of many of the later pharaohs of Egypt. The earlier pharaohs were buried in the Pyramids of Giza.

The burial place of the ancient pharaohs had to meet a few criteria:

First, it had to be on the west bank of the Nile. That is the bank the ancient Egyptians associated with death. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Easy association to make.

Second, it had to be associated with a pyramid. The mountain above the Valley of the Kings is indeed shaped like a pyramid.
The mountain crowning the Valley of the Kings. Note the pyramid shape
Third, it had to be secret. The pharaohs knew that the graves of the non-secret burial sites had already been robbed; a glance at the treasures found in Tut's tomb tells us why the tombs were ripe for thievery. The later pharaohs didn't want their own burial vaults looted.
Funeral Mask of Tutankhamun, just one of the many treasures found in his tomb
The ancient Egyptians were all about immortality. They built — and they painted — for the ages. Their construction and their paintings remain in the Valley of the Kings, untouched, unrestored, as originally painted.

In the Tomb of Rameses VI


Comments

  1. UnknownApril 10, 2020 at 5:49 AM

    I have always wanted to see the Valley of the Kings, and after reading your blog, I want to go even more now!

    ReplyDelete

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