Valley of the Kings, also called Valley of the Tombs of the Kings or Arabic Wādī Bībān al-Mulūk, 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 (1539–1075 BCE).
Valley of the Kings is a long, narrow defile located just west of the Nile River in Upper Egypt. It was part of the ancient city of Thebes and served as the burial site for almost all the kings (pharaohs) of the 18th, 19th, and 20th dynasties, spanning from 1539 to 1075 BCE. This period includes notable pharaohs from Thutmose I to Ramses X. The valley, situated in the hills behind Dayr al-Baḥrī, is home to 62 known tombs, each exhibiting a variety of architectural plans and decorative styles. 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.
Fearing for the safety of their lavish burials, the kings of the New Kingdom (c. 1539–1075 BCE) chose to conceal their tombs in a secluded valley in the western hills behind Dayr al-Baḥrī. Here, tombs were dug deep into the heart of the mountain to house the pharaohs, several queens, high-ranking officials, and numerous sons of Ramses II.
The design of these tombs varies significantly but generally features a descending corridor interrupted by deep shafts intended to thwart tomb robbers, as well as pillared chambers or vestibules. At the end of the corridor lies a burial chamber containing a stone sarcophagus for the royal mummy, surrounded by storage chambers filled with furniture and equipment for the king’s use in the afterlife.
The walls of these tombs often bear sculptured and painted scenes depicting the deceased king in the presence of deities, particularly the gods of the underworld. They also feature illustrated magical texts, similar to those found in funerary papyri, meant to aid the king on his journey through the nether regions. These texts present various, non-conflicting views of the afterlife, in which the king faces trials and perils. For instance, in the “Book of That Which Is in the Underworld,” the king travels in the sun god’s boat through 12 divisions representing the 12 hours of the night. In the “Book of Gates,” giant serpents guard portals through which the sun must pass, with strange demons either aiding or hindering the boat’s progress. Other funerary compositions include the “Book of Day” and the “Book of Night,” which depict Nut, the sky-goddess, stretched across the heavens, and the “Book of the Heavenly Cow,” where Nut transforms into a cow on whom Re ascends to the firmament. Astronomical figures adorn the ceilings of several burial chambers.
Virtually all the tombs in the valley were cleared out in antiquity. Some were partially robbed during the New Kingdom, but all were systematically stripped of their contents in the 21st dynasty to protect the royal mummies and recycle the rich funerary goods back into the royal treasury. By the time of Strabo (1st century BCE), Greek travelers could visit 40 of the tombs. Several tombs were later reused by Coptic monks, who left their own inscriptions on the walls. Only Tutankhamun’s tomb (reigned 1333–23 BCE), located on the valley floor and protected by a pile of rock chippings from a later Ramesside tomb, escaped pillage. The treasures found in Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922, now housed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, provide a vivid glimpse of the wealth that must have been buried with a great pharaoh during the empire’s heyday.
The longest tomb in the Valley of the Kings (number 20) belongs to Queen Hatshepsut (reigned c. 1472–58), with her burial chamber nearly 700 feet (215 meters) from the entrance and descending 320 feet (100 meters) into the rock. The largest and most complex tomb (number 5) was apparently built for the many sons of Ramses II (reigned 1279–13), the greatest king of the 19th dynasty. This tomb, initially dismissed as insignificant, was rediscovered in the late 1980s and partially excavated in the 1990s. The uppermost of the tomb’s two levels includes a central pillared hall and various corridors leading to dozens of chambers.
