Valley of the Kings - Tal der Könige

Hill el-Qurn, "the horn", the striking rock of the Valley of the Kings
Valley of the Kings · ‏وادي الملوك‎
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Valley of the Kings

The Valley of the Kings or Königsgräbertal (Arabic:وادي الملوك‎, Wādī al-Mulūk; also asببان الملوك‎, Bibān al-Mulūk, „the gates of kings", Known) is located in the mountain valleys to the west behind the villages on West bank. It is one of the most important archaeological sites Egypt and the world and burial place of most of the New Kingdom pharaohs. The royal tomb valley is part of Egypt Unesco world heritage sites.

background

The royal tombs in the Königsgräbertal (including the western valley) are numbered, the abbreviation KV in front of this number means "King’s Valley". For example, the grave of Tutankhamun has the number KV62.

The excavations in the Gräbertal continue to this day, the currently best known is the excavation of the grave KV 5, the grave of the sons of Ramses ’II. By the American University in Cairo under the direction of Dr. Kent Weeks. This excavation is part of the Theban Mapping Project.

getting there

Site plan of the grave entrances in the Valley of the Kings

West bank

ferry

You can reach the west bank with a passenger ferry. It starts almost exactly at the level of the entrance to the Luxor Temple and arrives on the west bank at the train station for shared taxis. The price for one trip is LE 5 (as of 11/2018).

In the street

About 7 km from the center of Luxor you can cross the Nile over a bridge.

Taxi and shared taxi

There are enough taxis and shared taxis for your transport. If you choose a shared taxi, state your destination as specifically as possible, as the village of Qurna covers a huge area (from Colossi of Memnon to the Carter House, from the Nile to the mountains) and the shared taxis drive different routes. The return journey is easier: it always goes back to the taxi station.

Königsgräbertal

The King's Graves Valley is about 5 km from the ticket booth near the Colossi of Memnon. The asphalt road first leads north and then turns south-west. North before 1 Visitor center there is a large parking lot. It is convenient to use a taxi or bike for the route.

After passing through the visitor center, you will find the ticket booth on the right. If you like, you can take a “train” in Königsgäbertal.

mobility

The site can only be explored on foot. The ground is uneven, but trodden. The entrances to most of the graves are at ground level, and wooden stairs often lead to the grave entrance. Access to the grave of Thutmose ’III. (KV 34) takes place via a high iron staircase.

The passages in the graves are mostly sloping. The areas accessible to visitors are laid out with wooden boards including steps and railings.

Tourist Attractions

entry

View of some tombs in the Valley of the Kings
The Königsgräbertal is of course the destination of numerous tourists.

Open: Every day. In summer 6 am to 6 pm, in winter 9 am to 5 pm. The entrance fee is for a visit to three royal tombs. A separate ticket to the normal ticket must be purchased for individual graves. If you want to visit more graves, you have to buy several tickets. The ticket booth is no longer near the Colossi of Memnon since 2004, but directly at the entrance to the Königsgräbertal. Use cards on the same day!

  • Valley of the Kings: LE 240, for students LE 120 (as of 11/2019),
  • Grave of Ramses VI .: LE 100, for students LE 50,
  • Grab des Eje (KV 23, Westtal): LE 60, for students LE 30,
  • Tutankhamun's grave (KV 62): LE 300, for students LE 150,
  • Grave of Sethos ’I. (KV 17): LE 1,000 (also for students).

The entrance fee includes the use of the small train, which bridges the short distance from the entrance to the first grave, Not included. The train costs LE 5 extra.

Note: Not all graves are open to the public. Some of the graves are permanently closed, while others may be closed for restoration purposes.

Note: There is now a complete ban on photos for the entire Valley of the Kings. Cameras have to be handed in when entering and are only given again when leaving. With the purchase of a video ticket for LE 300 (as of 2/2018) you can take photos / videograph in three graves per ticket. The exception is the grave of Seti I. Photo tickets are now available at the ticket booth in the Valley of the Kings.

All graves now have an explanation at the grave entrance on a modern and informative board about the history, architecture and decoration. Basic plans and important detailed recordings are presented. These tables were created with the support of the Theban Mapping Project by the Egyptian Antiquities Authority.

It is recommended, if possible, to choose a grave from one of the three (better four) development phases when choosing the graves:

Phase I graves (18th dynasty to the Amarna period)

Sarcophagus hall in the grave of Amenhoteps II, KV 35
  • 1 Grave of Thutmose ’III.Grave of Thutmose ’III. (KV 34) in the encyclopedia WikipediaGrave of Thutmose ’III. (KV 34) in the media directory Wikimedia CommonsGrave of Thutmose ’III. (KV 34) (Q1719144) in the Wikidata database (KV 34) [1], ‏مقبرة تحوتمس الثالث, - the earliest grave. It is located at the far end of the southern grave valley and is accessible via a high steel staircase. The oval tomb is accessible via a long corridor and an antechamber. The decoration is typical of this time: the twelve hours of the Amduat are shown in red and black. The grave has been accessible again since November 2015.
  • 2 Grave of Amenhoteps II.Grave of Amenhoteps II (KV 35) in the encyclopedia WikipediaGrave of Amenhoteps II (KV 35) in the media directory Wikimedia CommonsGrave of Amenhoteps II (KV 35) (Q1633253) in the Wikidata database (KV 35) [2], ‏مقبرة أمنحتب الثاني‎.
  • 3 Grave of Amenhoteps III.Grave of Amenhoteps III. (WV 22) in the encyclopedia WikipediaGrave of Amenhoteps III. (WV 22) in the media directory Wikimedia CommonsGrave of Amenhoteps III. (WV 22) (Q2480865) in the Wikidata database (KV 22, also WV 22) [3], ‏مقبرة أمنحتب الثالث‎.

Tombs from the immediate post-Amamarna period

Sarcophagus hall in the tomb of Eje, WV 23
  • 4 Tutankhamun's tombTutankhamun's tomb (KV 62) in the Wikipedia encyclopediaTutankhamun's tomb (KV 62) in the media directory Wikimedia CommonsTutankhamun's tomb (KV 62) (Q835309) in the Wikidata database (KV 62) [4], ‏مقبرة توت عنخ أمون. It is the most famous, but not necessarily the most beautiful grave. It owes its fame to the tomb furnishings of the tomb, discovered and explored by Howard Carter in 1922, which is now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The grave was surely laid out in Eje, the decoration has obvious parallels in his grave. A separate ticket must be purchased for the grave (LE 70). Tutankhamun's body has been on display since November 4, 2007.
  • 5 Tomb of EjeGrave of Eje (WV 23) in the encyclopedia WikipediaGrave of Eje (WV 23) in the media directory Wikimedia CommonsGrave of Eje (WV 23) (Q2706226) in the Wikidata database (KV 23, WV 23) [5], ‏مقبرة آي. It is at the far end of the western valley. A separate ticket must be purchased. If you have time and are not afraid of the long way of approx. 4 km, you will find an absolutely delightful valley in front of you. The tomb design of Eje is similar to that of Tutankhamun.

Phase II graves (late 18th dynasty, early 19th dynasty)

Painted relief in the tomb of the Haremhab, KV 57
  • 6 Haremhab's tombGrave of the Haremhab (KV 57) in the encyclopedia WikipediaTomb of the Haremhab (KV 57) in the media directory Wikimedia CommonsTomb of the Haremhab (KV 57) (Q947481) in the Wikidata database (KV 57) [6], ‏مقبرة حورمحب. The tomb of the last king of the 18th dynasty. The grave has been accessible from time to time since November 2015.
  • 7 Tomb of Seti I.Grave of Sethos ’I. (KV 17) in the encyclopedia WikipediaGrave of Sethos ’I. (KV 17) in the media directory Wikimedia CommonsGrave of Sethos ’I. (KV 17) (Q1420195) in the Wikidata database (KV 17) [7], ‏مقبرة سيتي الأول. Entry: LE 1,000 (as of 3/2017).

Phase III graves. (19th, 20th dynasty, Ramesside period)

Sarcophagus in the tomb of Merenptah, KV 8
  • 8 Grave of Ramses ’I.Grave of Ramses ’I. (KV 16) in the encyclopedia WikipediaGrave of Ramses ’I. (KV 16) in the media directory Wikimedia CommonsGrave of Ramses ’I. (KV 16) (Q2634186) in the Wikidata database (KV 16) [8], ‏مقبرة رمسيس الأول‎.
  • 9 Grave of Ramses ’III.Grave of Ramses ’III. (KV 11) in the encyclopedia WikipediaGrave of Ramses ’III. (KV 11) in the media directory Wikimedia CommonsGrave of Ramses ’III. (KV 11) (Q385280) in the Wikidata database (KV 11) [9], ‏مقبرة رمسيس الثالث‎. The grave has been closed since November 2015.
  • 10 Grave of Ramses ’V./Ramses’ VI.Grave of Ramses ’V./Ramses’ VI. (KV 9) in the encyclopedia WikipediaGrave of Ramses ’V./Ramses’ VI. (KV 9) in the media directory Wikimedia CommonsGrave of Ramses ’V./Ramses’ VI. (KV 9) (Q1520987) in the Wikidata database (KV 9) [10], ‏مقبرة رمسيس السادس. The tomb was under Ramses. IV. Started. The magnificently furnished grave is definitely worth a visit. As of December 2016, the grave is open.
  • 11 Grave of Ramses ’VII.Grave of Ramses ’VII. (KV 1) in the encyclopedia WikipediaGrave of Ramses ’VII. (KV 1) in the media directory Wikimedia CommonsGrave of Ramses ’VII. (KV 1) (Q778902) in the Wikidata database (KV 1) [11], ‏مقبرة رمسيس السابع‎.
  • 12 Tomb of Ramses ’IX.Tomb of Ramses ’IX. (KV 6) in the encyclopedia WikipediaTomb of Ramses ’IX. (KV 6) in the media directory Wikimedia CommonsTomb of Ramses ’IX. (KV 6) (Q1499244) in the Wikidata database (KV 6) [12], ‏مقبرة رمسيس التاسع‎. The grave has been closed since November 2015.
  • 13 Tomb of MerenptahGrave of Merenptah (KV 8) in the encyclopedia WikipediaTomb of Merenptah (KV 8) in the media directory Wikimedia CommonsTomb of Merenptah (KV 8) (Q590096) in the Wikidata database (KV 8) [13], ‏مقبرة مرنبتاح‎.
  • 14 Tomb of SiptahGrave of Siptah (KV 47) in the encyclopedia WikipediaTomb of Siptah (KV 47) in the media directory Wikimedia CommonsTomb of Siptah (KV 47) (Q366941) in the Wikidata database (KV 47) [14], ‏مقبرة سبتاح‎.
  • 15 Tomb of Tausret and SethnachtGrave of Tausret and Sethnacht (KV 14) in the encyclopedia WikipediaTomb of Tausret and Sethnacht (KV 14) in the media directory Wikimedia CommonsTomb of Tausret and Sethnacht (KV 14) (Q684908) in the Wikidata database (KV 14) [15], ‏مقبرة توسرت وست نخت‎.

shop

At the entrance to the Königsgräbertal you have the opportunity to buy souvenirs.

kitchen

In the area of ​​the souvenir shops at the entrance you can also buy drinks and snacks. There are restaurants only outside the archaeological site. See explanations under Thebes West.

Opposite the grave of Ramses ’V./Ramses VI. (KV 9) is a 2 Resting placewithout there being any gastronomic offer here. The inspectors' offices are also located here.

accommodation

There are no accommodations in the Königsgräbertal. Most of the hotels and apartments are located in Luxor (Nilostseite) and Gazīrat el-Baʿīrāt and Gazīrat er-Ramla (Nile west side). There are also a small number of hotels in the area of ​​the village esch-Sheikh ʿAbd el-Qurna and Ṭōd el-Baʿīrāt.

trips

If you want, you can make the way back over the mountain ridge. You start to do this approximately at the height of the grave of Ramses VI. towards the Nile. The northward path ends in Deir al-Bahari, the southward path in Deir el-Madina. The hike is delightful, if a little arduous. From above you get a good view of the royal tombs and the temples of Deir al-Bahari and the workers' settlement of Deir al-Madina El-Qurn is also possible.

literature

  • Hornung, Erik: Valley of the Kings: the resting places of the pharaohs. Zurich: Artemis & Winkler, 1999 (6th edition), ISBN 978-3-7608-0519-1 .

Web links

Article draftThe main parts of this article are still very short and many parts are still in the drafting phase. If you know anything on the subject be brave and edit and expand it to make a good article. If the article is currently being written to a large extent by other authors, don't be put off and just help.