Bestiary ยท Royal Necropolis
The Valley of the Kings
The burial ground of Egypt's pharaohs for 500 years. Sixty-three tombs cut into limestone cliffs. The discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922 launched the 'curse of the mummy' legend when Lord Carnarvon died weeks later.
Underworld Ruler
The Valley of the Kings lies on the west bank of the Nile, opposite the modern city of Luxor. For roughly five hundred years during the New Kingdom, Egypt’s pharaohs abandoned the pyramid form and carved their tombs into the limestone cliffs of this narrow valley.
The Tombs
Sixty-three tombs have been identified. The earliest belong to pharaohs of the Eighteenth Dynasty, around 1539 BCE. The last royal burial dates to around 1075 BCE. The tombs vary in size from single chambers to vast complexes with dozens of rooms. The walls are painted with scenes from funerary texts, the Book of the Dead, the Amduat, and the Book of Gates, depicting the pharaoh’s passage through the underworld and rebirth at dawn.
Tutankhamun
On November 26, 1922, Howard Carter opened a sealed doorway in the valley floor and found the tomb of Tutankhamun, the only royal burial discovered with its contents largely intact. Over 5,000 objects filled four chambers. When Carter’s patron, Lord Carnarvon, died of an infected mosquito bite weeks after the opening, the press invented the “curse of the pharaoh.” The story sold papers for decades. Carnarvon had been in poor health for years.
The Valley Today
The valley is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tombs are opened to visitors on a rotating basis to limit damage from humidity and foot traffic. The most heavily decorated tombs, including those of Seti I and Ramesses VI, contain some of the finest surviving examples of ancient Egyptian art.
