The Valley of the Pharaohs is an amazing place on the planet, representing a huge ancient cemetery of the Egyptian nobility. To the tombs of the richest people of ancient times and the burial places of the Egyptian pharaohs you can go along the only narrow path. Where is the Valley of the Pharaohs? This territory is located opposite the city of Thebes (the west bank of the Nile).
Egypt: Valley of the Pharaohs
Luxor (ancient Thebes) is an Egyptian city that is constantly visited by tourists from all over the world. Their interest is caused by a huge abundance of ancient monuments and significant places, among which is the Valley of the Kings. It was formed in the 16th century and was used for burials until 1075 BC. e.
More than sixty pharaohs sleep there forever. Officially, this place, which also contained the graves of the wives and children of the rulers, was called the Great Magic Necropolis. At the time of Ramses the First, the arrangement of the Valley of the Queens was begun, but some wives were still buried with their husbands.
Location of the Valley of the Kings
Several reasons why the Valley of the Pharaohs was chosen for burial:
• a mound based on limestone - a building material that protected graves from fractures and cracks;
• convenience in promoting the funeral procession;
• inaccessibility - the territory was protected by steep cliffs and was under the supervision of guards, whose huts were located around the valley.
The Valley of the Kings consists of Eastern and Western parts. The main part of the graves is in the East. On the west side is one tomb open to the public. This is the grave of Tutankhamun's successor - Au. In this part, there are three more important burials, on which excavations are being carried out to date.
Description of the tombs
The history of the graves was begun by Pharaoh Thutmose the First; before that, all the Egyptian rulers found their last refuge in the pyramids.
The tombs were deep wells built in the rock, the entrances of which were reliably covered with earth and littered with huge stones, and steep steps went down. The path to the tomb was littered with various traps and traps. It could be suddenly falling doors and stuff.
The well rested in frescoes painted with frescoes, which depicted episodes of the earthly life of the deceased and talked about his afterlife. Sarcophagi were installed in the chambers, abundantly laden with gifts for the deceased: expensive household items, jewelry intended to facilitate his afterlife.
Tombs under the scrutiny of robbers
The tombs were always under the scrutiny of the robbers, so they were carefully guarded by specially created military units. If the robbery attempts were successful, then the mummies themselves were destroyed by the attackers, whose vandals were afraid of revenge. It has been established that often robberies against the city were carried out with the knowledge of local officials who tried to replenish the impoverished treasury with recycled treasures. Religious fanatics often visited sarcophagi. They tried to save the mummies from desecration and destruction and transferred them to other chambers.
Tomb of Tutankhamun
Unlike other tombs, looted and empty, the most famous tomb of Tutankhamun was preserved almost intact . During the construction of the Ramses tomb next to it, it was inadvertently covered with stones, which made it inaccessible for several centuries. It was discovered only at the beginning of the twentieth century.
A deep corridor leads into the funeral vault, painted with quotes from the Book of the Dead. There is also a sarcophagus, which is a stone structure. It is embedded in 4 wooden chests that are inserted into each other. The ceiling and walls are painted with scenes from the life of the ruler. Those who found the tomb of Tutankhamun were shocked by the abundance of gold and silver jewelry, as well as household items, the number of which was about 5000 units. Among them were works of art of a bygone era, a gilded chariot, lamps, clothes, writing materials and even a bunch of hair of Pharaoh’s grandmother. Several years were spent by scientists to compile an inventory of what they found. Pharaoh’s face was covered with a golden mask, representing a copy of the face.
The special decoration of the tomb was explained by the fact that, being very young, the 18-year-old ruler returned to the Egyptians the usual gods to whom they offered their prayers. Prior to this, the powerful Akhenaten - the predecessor of Tutankhamun - introduced a law in the country that allowed only one god to be worshiped. To determine how rich the tomb’s wealth is in comparison with the sarcophagi of other mummies, archaeologists did not have the opportunity, because they were all devastated by the robberies of the treasure hunters.
Graves of the Valley of the Kings
In the 80s, scientists began to draw up a detailed map of the Valley of the Kings. In the process, a tomb was found under the fifth number, the entrance to which was accidentally littered during excavations of the tomb of Tutankhamun. It took several years to clear, and only in 1995, archaeologists managed to get into it.
84 tombs were found in the tomb. Their walls were covered with inscriptions saying that the premises were planned for the burial of the sons of Ramses the Second. There were discovered furniture, figurines, ritual offerings, various objects prepared for the afterlife. There are suggestions that others are located below these rooms.
5 meters from the tomb of Tutankhamun, burial No. 63 was found with several sarcophagi, but without mummies. Who it belongs to is not installed. According to scientists, this is the tomb of the mother of Pharaoh or his wife.
In the valley there are also unfinished tombs, in which, judging by the contents, the mummies were. This confirms the presence of some fragments of decoration and human bones. Very interesting and unusual is the tomb of the pharaoh Seti the First. It is 120 meters long and consists of a large number of chambers. It is a huge underground palace with a large number of ancient treasures. Most of the tombs are empty, and the mummies of them are identified in the country's museums.
The exhibits of the city of Luxor include all buildings, structures and monuments. About two million tourists visit this place annually. The Valley of the Kings (or the Valley of the Pharaohs) stores 64 sarcophagi, but not everyone is available for general viewing. The tombs are constantly being restored, they are all similar to each other in layout and decoration, each assigned a number. The numbering was carried out in the order of their detection. Photographing is prohibited here, because flashbulbs adversely affect ancient paint.