The Valley of the Kings is situated on the west bank of the Nile in Luxor, 25 km from the train station. It is one of the necropolises that together with the city of Thebes are classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
What is the Valley of the Kings?
It is a necropolis of ancient Egypt, in the vicinity of Luxor, where the tombs of most of the pharaohs of the New Kingdom (18th, 19th and 20th dynasties), as well as several queens, princes, nobles and even some animals.
It was inaugurated by Thutmose I, the third pharaoh of the 18th dynasty, which around 1500 BC, ordered the royal architect Inani, the construction of his tomb in the greatest of secrets.
It is believed that it was originally intended to be used as a family tomb, but with successive changes in power, and the construction of new tombs, the valley became a necropolis that remained in use for more than 400 years.
The Valley of the Kings is made up of two parts: the East Valley and the West Valley. The former is one of the most visited places by tourists and is where most of the tombs are found.
What type of structure is the Valley of the Kings?
All the Valley tombs are different, but according to their structure they can be divided into two main groups.
The oldest ones are steep and start with a straight corridor. After several corridors and stairs, the corridor turns to the left and it is there that the burial chamber is located. This type of tomb was built during the 18th Dynasty.
The second type of tomb is completely straight and has little slope, it is like a long corridor, with stairs, corridors and rooms one behind the other. This type of tomb was the one that was built during the 19th and 20th Dynasties.
The tombs, no matter what type they are, are decorated with reliefs and fragments from the Book of the Dead and other funerary texts.
These texts are like a kind of travel guide to get to the Other World, since they explain to the Pharaoh what was the path he had to follow and how to overcome the obstacles that could be presented to him.
In this way the pharaoh could be sure that his soul would arrive intact to the Hereafter to live eternally.
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