nile cruise ship semiramis II
Egypt - cruise on the Nile
~ Thebes West - Valley of Kings ~
UNESCO World Heritage
Egypt flag

Egyppt itinerary
cruise ship
Nile views
Karnak
Luxor
Temple Hatschepsut
Edfu
Kom Ombo

On the West banks of Luxor in desert sand and the Theban mountains the necropolis of ancient Thebes is located, with the mortuary and cult temples as well as the tombs of the New Kingdom.
Valley of Kings road to the tombsIn this bleak area, in the Valley of Kings, the pharaohs of the XVIIIth – XXth dyn. (1550-1070 BC) have hidden their tombs to protect them from being plundered, which finally, however, could not be prevented so that the mummies were eventually brought without their valuable funerary objects to a secret place.  After thousands of years, in 1875, they were discovered by grave robbers.  Some of the mummies could be saved and in 1881 be transferred into the Egyptian museum in Cairo.
 
 
entrances of tombs
entrances
tomb entrance
Up to now 62 tombs have been found, last of all in 1922 the famous tomb of Tutankhamun by Howard Carter.  The first pharaoh buried in the Valley of the Kings was Tuthmose 1.  In principle all these tombs consist of a long corridor with several rooms, which leads to the burial chamber, cut deep into the rock at a depth of 105 m. Walls and ceilings are decorated with marvellous coloured reliefs and paintings of breathtaking beauty which, in the dimly-lit rooms, revive the myths of old Egypt, its culture and history.  For the fact that the colours have survived thousands of years, we have to thank the old Egyptians, who used mineral substances.
Valley of Kings Ramses III
Valley of Kings Ramses IV
Valley of Kings Ramses VII
Ramses III ( KV11)
Ramses IV(KV2
Ramses VII (KV1)
Valley of Kings Taf-Taf trainsThe Valley of the Kings at Thebes West was another fascinating highlight during our stay at Luxor, and so it is for thousands  of tourists.   Due to the great rush of visitors, we were only allowed to visit 3 tombs and, moreover, photographing was, generally, no longer permitted – so, no pictures of the interior!.  We visited the tombs as shown above.  The Taf-Taf trains saved us the walk in the heat and brought us here in comfort, as they had at the Temple of the Hatshepsut.

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