The Valley of the Kings is one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Is a burial ground for Ancient Egyptian royalty between the 16th and 11th century BC. There are over 63 Tombs, although only a few are open to public.
Here are the best tombs to visit in the Valley of the Kings.
About The Valley Of The Kings
The Valley of the Kings is a burial ground for Ancient Egyptian royalty between the 16th and 11th century BC(18th,19th, and 20th dynasties of the New Kingdom ). The Valley of the Kings has its name from the pharaonic times, built for those who were promised continuing life with the gods. The tombs found were not only burial tombs for the mummified pharaohs, but for their treasure, food and wine, clothes, pets and sacred objects to help the deceased achieve eternal life.
There are 63 tombs at the Valley of the Kings, all discovered before 1922. You cannot visit them all, but worth visiting as many as you can when you go. Today, only 8 of the valley’s 63 tombs can be visited by the public, and they are rarely open at the same time. Instead, the authorities rotate which ones are open in order to try and mitigate the damaging effects of mass tourism (including increased carbon dioxide levels, friction and humidity). In several tombs, the murals are protected by dehumidifiers and glass screens; while others are now equipped with electric lighting.
You may expect when visiting that the tombs are cold, however don’t be surprised when you enter one and you end up sweating more than outside in the sun.The Valley of the Kings was established as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979 along with the rest of the Theban Necropolis, and continues to be the subject of ongoing archaeological exploration.
Tombs Are Open To The Public
Currently, eight tombs are open for the visit in the Valley of the Kings. Your entrance ticket will allow you to visit three of these tombs. If you want to see more than three, you will have to purchase an additional ticket.
Here are the eight tombs that are available to visit with the main entrance ticket in 2021:
- KV1 –Ramses VII
- KV2 – Ramses IV
- KV6 – Ramses IX
- KV8 – Merenptah
- KV11 –Ramses III
- KV14 –Tausert – Setnakht
- KV15 –Seti II
- KV47 –Siptah
There are three additional tombs you can visit with an extra ticket. Here is the list with the additional price for each tomb in 2021.
- KV9 – Ramses V & VI (100 EGP per person)
- KV17– Seti I (1,000 EGP per person)
- KV62– King Tutankhamun (300 EGP per person)
Photography At The Valley Of The Kings
In 2020 it is no longer required to buy a photo pass to take photos, only you can use your mobile phone but if you wish to take photos with a camera then you need a photo pass and cost 300 EGP per camera for three tombs only Except Tomb of Seti I and Tutankamun.
Best Tombs To Visit In The Valley Of The Kings
Here is a list of the best tombs to visit in the Valley of the Kings, ranked from the majority of tourists had visit the Valley of the Kings.
Ramses V And Vi – Kv9
Requires an extra ticket: 100 EGP
This tomb the most favorite for many visitors, It is also one of the largest tombs, featuring a very long hallway and several series of staircases. The paintings here will blow your mind and the burial chamber at the end is pure magic.
Goddess Nut, the sky goddess, appears regularly in the rooftops of many tombs and temples throughout Egypt. This particular painting shows the night and day journey of the sun. The pillared hallway, at about the midpoint of this tomb, is breathtaking. The burial chamber is enormous.
We highly recommend this tomb for all the visitors for only an additional 100 EGP(6$ USD, This is definitely worth the small extra expense.
Tomb of Seti i – kv 17
Requires an extra ticket: 1000 EGP
One of the great achievements of Egypt is the tomb of Seti I, It is the finest, most beautiful, and the most perfectly decorated tomb in the Valley of the Kings.
It is also the longest, deepest and most completely finished of all the tombs in the valley. With painted raised relief decoration of the highest quality. The Tomb of Seti I consists of seven corridors and ten chambers. Its total area measures about 649.04 m², and its length is about 137.19 m². It was discovered in 1817 by Giovanni Belzoni.
Is it worth entering King Tutankhamun’s tomb?
YES, this is the tomb that put Valley of the Kings on the map and made it world famous! You’ll be following the steps of Howard Carter and his excavation team. And in this tomb, you can see the mummified body of King Tutankamun and this is the only mummy in the whole Valley of the Kings.
Tutankhamun Tomb- Kv 62
Requires an extra ticket: 300 EGP
The tomb was discovered in 1922 by the famous British Egyptologist Howard Carter. Carter’s discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb was sensational at that time because, it is the most complete and intact Egyptian tomb ever found. The treasures that were found in the tomb of the boy king Tutankhamun amazed the whole world for years. You can notice this upon the faces of the tourists in the Egyptian museum when they see the golden mask, and golden coffin of Tutankhamun. Tutankhamun died unexpectedly, died very young age 19, He ruled Egypt for only 10 years so he was buried in haste.
This can be seen in the lack of wall decoration in all rooms except the impressive burial chamber. The tomb is the smallest of the royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings, but is also the most famous. It contains the largest and most elaborate collection of artifacts of any tomb in the valley. The treasures from the tomb can be seen in Cairo Egyptian Museum.
We highly recommend these two tombs.
Note: check at the entrance of the valley about them if, they are open or closed.
TOMB OF HOREMHEP – KV 57
Before coming to the throne himself, Horemheb had served in the court of King Amenhotep IV, then he had continued in his post under the reign of King Tutankhamun and finally under the command of King Ay. Horemheb was the last pharaoh of the 18th dynasty of Egypt.
The tomb was discovered in February, 1908 by the young British Egyptologist Edward Ayrton who worked under the orders of Theodore Davis, was damaged during a rainstorm in the Valley of the Kings in 1996 and has since been closed for repairs. Tomb KV 57 is remarkably well-preserved, and its decorations are some of the most important in the Valley of the Kings. It is 128 meters long and covers over 473 square meters. This tomb marks a transition between earlier tombs, whose axes made a right-angle turn, and the straight-line, single-axis tombs of the later New Kingdom.
TOMB OF TUTMOSIS III – KV 34
The tomb was discovered in 1898 and cleared by Victor Loret, the director of the Antiquities Service. The tomb is in an unusual location as it lies in a narrow cut in the bedrock cliffs, high above the floor of the Valley of the Kings. The tomb is reached through a steel staircase rising over twenty meters above the Valley floor.
The burial chamber is designed in the shape of a large Cartouche. The ceiling is decorated with yellow stars on a dark blue background. The walls of the burial chamber are covered with scenes of the first complete version of the Amduat, or “That Which is in the Underworld”
Which Tombs Do We Recommend
We think that it is absolutely worth it to spend 100 EGP to visit the tomb of Ramses V and VI.
In summary, The Valley of the Kings is one of the most incredible places you can visit in Egypt. Pick three included tombs, the extra expense for the tomb of Ramses V and VI is worth every penny. Only pay the fee to enter Tutankhamen’s tomb if you want to see his mummy. Seti I is worth it if you have the money to spend.
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