Ever since Howard Carter opened up King Tut’s tomb to reveal the treasures of the child king, the Valley of the Kings has captured the imaginations of travelers.
Walkway in the Valley of the Kings
A visit here is a highlight of any Egypt trip but can be demanding due to the stifling heat and swarms of visitors.
It’s important to note that tombs open and close to the public in rotation in an attempt to help preserve the wall paintings, which have suffered severe degradation from the humidity caused by so many visitors.
Most tombs listed below are usually open. They are listed in order of their tomb number.
Tomb of Ramses VII (1)The Tomb of Ramses VII is a small, unfinished tomb. It’s much smaller, with just two chambers and a corridor, than many other tombs due to hasty finishing, as the pharaoh died unexpectedly.
A Greek inscription shows that this tomb was known and accessible during the Ptolemaic period.Tomb of Ramses IV (2)
An ancient staircase with a ramp in the middle leads to the entrance of this tomb. Look on the lintel of the door to see Isis and Nephthys worshiping the sun, with the ram-headed sun god and a scarab depicted within.
On the right-hand entrance wall, you can see two figures of Copts raising their hands in prayer. According to an inscription, one of them is “Apa Ammonios the martyr.”
The scenes and inscriptions were painted on stucco, almost all of which has fallen away. In the main chamber is the pharaoh’s granite sarcophagus covered with inscriptions and reliefs.
Reliefs in the Tomb of Ramses III
Although the reliefs are not particularly well executed here, they are notable for their variety and the excellent preservation of the colors.
In the first corridor, to the right and left of the entrance, you can see the goddess Maat kneeling, sheltering with her wings those who enter the tomb.
In the third side chamber, look up to the upper row of scenes on the left to see a kneeling Nile god bestowing gifts on seven fertility gods (with ears of corn on their heads.
The fourth side chamber, on the right, was the pharaoh’s armory and contains wall paintings of the sacred black bull Meri on the “Southern Lake” (on the left) and the black cow Hesi on the “Northern Lake” (on the right).
The sun’s journey during the fourth hour of night is depicted on the fourth corridor. This leads you into the sixth chamber with a sloping passage with side galleries and four pillars, on which the pharaoh is depicted in the presence of various gods.
Tomb of Tausert & Setnakht
Tomb of Seti II
Tomb of Ramses I (16)This tomb is currently not open to the public.
A sloping corridor and a steep staircase lead down to the tomb chamber, in the middle of which is the open red granite coffin of the king, with pictures and texts painted in yellow.
The walls of the chamber are covered with colored scenes and inscriptions.
On the entrance wall, look to the left to see Maat and Ramses I before Ptah. To the right, Maat and the pharaoh are making an offering to Nefertum, while behind is the symbolic knot of Isis.
On the left-hand wall to the right of the door and above it are scenes from the third section of the Book of the Gates. First we see the gateway, guarded by a snake, then the journey through the third division of the Underworld. In the middle, the boat is being drawn by four men towards a long chapel in which are the mummies of nine gods.
Doorway to a tomb
Valley of Kings- Tomb of Sethos I Map (Historical)
Tomb of Tuthmosis III
Valley of Kings- Tomb of Tutankhamun Map (Historical)
Tomb of Ay (23)
