Valley of the Kings

The Valley of the Kings is a necropolis carved into limestone hills west of the Nile near Luxor, containing more than 60 underground tombs. Decorated corridors slope downward through the rock, leading to burial chambers adorned with hieroglyphs and colored reliefs showing scenes from religious texts.

Pharaohs used this desert location for royal burials during the New Kingdom period, beginning around 1500 BCE and continuing for nearly five centuries. The practice ended when Egypt came under foreign rule and the capital shifted away from Thebes.

Modern Egyptologists and conservators work onsite to stabilize wall paintings and manage humidity levels that threaten the ancient artwork. Visitors observe strict protocols inside the tombs, with photography banned and foot traffic carefully monitored to prevent further erosion of decorated surfaces.

The site opens early in the morning and closes by late afternoon, with only a selection of tombs accessible to visitors on any given day. Staff rotate which chambers remain open to reduce wear on the wall paintings and reliefs inside the most popular burial sites.

Workers who excavated the tombs lived in a settlement now called Deir el-Medina, located in a nearby valley across the ridge. Their village remains offer rare insight into the daily lives of the craftsmen who created the royal burial chambers.

Location: Luxor

Part of: Theban Necropolis

GPS coordinates: 25.74025,32.60236

Latest update: December 14, 2025 19:02