Valley of the Kings

Valley of the Kings, Egypt

The golden sunrise lighting the limestone cliffs and the peak of al-Qurn in the Valley of the Kings.

Come for the rock-cut royal tombs of the New Kingdom, but go early, because the valley fills with tour groups by late morning.

The place

The Valley of the Kings is a dry wadi on the west bank of the Nile, opposite the modern city of Luxor, inside the wider Theban Necropolis. Between the Eighteenth and Twentieth Dynasties, over nearly 500 years, New Kingdom rulers and a number of senior nobles had their tombs cut into the bedrock here. The valley divides into two parts. The East Valley holds most of the royal tombs, while the West Valley, sometimes called the Valley of the Monkeys, has only one tomb open to visitors.

The count now stands at 65 tombs and chambers. They range from KV54, which is little more than a simple pit, to KV5, a sprawling complex built for the sons of Ramesses II. Many royal walls carry scenes from Egyptian mythology, and these give clues to funerary practice and to ideas about the afterlife. Almost all the tombs were broken into and robbed in antiquity, yet their scale still conveys the wealth and authority of the pharaohs.

Scholars have studied the valley since the eighteenth century, and new work keeps arriving. For many visitors the appeal is the sense of standing in a quiet, enclosed place where a king was once laid to rest, with bare hills closing in around the path.

Its story

Long before the first royal burial was cut here, the Theban Hills already had a landmark that shaped the choice of ground. The peak of al-Qurn rises above the necropolis, and the ancient Egyptians called it ta dehent, meaning “The Peak”. Its pyramid-like outline probably echoed the Old Kingdom pyramids built centuries earlier. Its isolated position also made access easier to control, which suited a burial ground for kings. The Medjay, a unit of specialist guards for the tombs, could keep watch over the routes leading in.

The wider story starts with a contrast. The pyramid complex on the Giza Plateau has come to stand for ancient Egypt, yet most Egyptian burials were not pyramids. Much of the work was cut into rock, and rock-cut tombs had appeared as early as the Old Kingdom, long before the rulers of Thebes adopted them.

The reunification of Egypt under Ahmose I, after the defeat of the Hyksos, gave the Theban rulers both resources and confidence. They began to build tombs that proclaimed their new power. The tombs of Ahmose I and of his son Amenhotep I are thought to have stood in the Seventeenth Dynasty necropolis at Dra’ Abu el-Naga’, though their exact location remains unknown. Later kings moved their burial ground into the valley, where the cliffs offered privacy and a defensible site.

What to see

Culture

The Valley of the Kings is a working burial ground rather than a museum in a park, and its tombs are fragile. Most of the tombs are not open to visitors at all, and some that are open can be shut for conservation work without warning, so the list changes from season to season. Eighteen tombs can be opened, but rarely all at once. KV62 and the single open tomb in the West Valley can both be included in one LE750 ticket, which covers three tombs of your choice. Guides no longer give talks inside the burial chambers, so groups move quietly through each tomb in single file. The aim is to shorten the time people spend inside, because crowds were damaging the painted surfaces. Early morning is the calmest time to visit. Staff will ask you to keep moving, so do not linger in a chamber to take a photograph. The valley closes in the evening, and visitors cannot stay after closing time. Walk single file through the tombs, keep your voice low, and never touch the painted walls.

What to wear

The Valley of the Kings lies in Upper Egypt, where the traditional dress is the galabiya, a loose, full-length robe worn by men and, in many villages, by women. Cotton is the everyday textile because it breathes in the heat, and older generations sometimes wear heavier cloth on cooler nights. Women often cover their hair with a scarf, a practice more common in villages than in Luxor’s town centre. Today most people on the West Bank wear Western clothes such as shirts, trousers and jeans in town, keeping the galabiya for home, the fields and Friday prayers. Visitors should dress for the sun and for modesty. Loose cotton or linen shirts and trousers, or a long skirt, cover shoulders and knees, and a wide-brimmed hat helps, since the valley offers little shade. Wear closed shoes with good grip, because the paths are uneven and tomb entrances are reached by steps and slopes. Bring a light scarf to cover your shoulders or hair when you visit local villages or a mosque.

What to eat

Plan it

Best time. The mildest months, roughly December to February, are the most comfortable window, with highs around 33°C, while April and October still reach about 43°C. Summer is very hot in the valley, with little shelter from the sun, so plan around it.

How long. 1–2

Getting there. Fly into Luxor, then cross the Nile from the East Bank by public ferry. From the ferry landing, the last leg to the valley is by taxi or bicycle across the West Bank.

Budget. mid

Tips

Etiquette

Nearby

Sources