Valley of the Kings
The Valley of the Kings (Arabic وادي الملوك, DMG Wādī al - Muluk, also Wadi el- Muluk, biban el- Moluk, Biban el- Muluk ) was a necropolis of ancient Egypt, in which up to now 64 tombs and pits were found. " KV65 " is a radar anomaly that is interpreted as the grave, but was still not investigated further.
In the Valley of the Kings, the tombs of the rulers of the New Kingdom in particular (about 1550-1069 BC, 18th-20th dynasty ) to find. The valley is located in Western Thebes, opposite Karnak, on the edge of the desert and is surrounded by high mountains, including through the natural rock pyramid el grain or el- Qurn ( " horn "). Virtually the entire territory of the West Bank is a huge necropolis. To the south is the Valley of the Queens.
Despite thousands of years of activity of grave robbers and looters, the Valley of the Kings gave the Egyptologists of the modern era, numerous highly valuable archaeological finds. Among other things, the largely intact grave of Tutankhamun ( KV62 ) was discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter here.
- 2.1 Overview of the graves
History
Different places of the Valley of the Kings were settled at least since the middle Paleolithic of people.
Antiquity
- The area of Thebes was used as a royal necropolis already during the First Intermediate Period.
- In at- tariff, northeast of the valley, Saff Tombs ( Antef I., Antef II, III Antef. ) Originated from at least three kings of the 11th Dynasty.
- Mentuhotep II built the first mortuary temple in the basin of Deir el-Bahari.
- From the 18th Dynasty funerary temple created numerous (millions of years houses ) in the plane in front of the Rocky Mountains in the Valley of the Kings. These include the mortuary temple of: Hatshepsut
- Amenhotep III.
- Ramesses II ( Ramesseum )
- Ramses III. ( Medinet Habu )
Modern Times
Marking the graves
The tombs in the Valley of the Kings were numbered consecutively, with the number the letters KV ( abbreviation for Kings' Valley) are prefixed. The numbering goes back to John Gardner Wilkinson, the with a brush and a bucket of red paint immigrated in 1827 through the valley and each grave, he found, was a number. He came to the grave KV21.
A few graves are located in the western tributary and received the English abbreviation WV (West Valley). These tombs are in the Theban Mapping Project also with KV no. listed.
Overview of the graves
Tourism
The Valley of the Kings is one of the main attractions for tourists in Egypt. Only a small part of the tombs can be visited, as for conservation reasons, a varying part is locked. Some tombs like that of Seti I ( KV17 ) are closed to visitors for years. Tickets currently entitle the holder to visit three tombs, it is suggested by the Administration to stay only 10 minutes in each grave. For the grave of Tutankhamen an extra ticket must be solved.
Photographing and filming was defeated in the Valley of the Kings severely restricted. Since December 2009 it is no longer allowed to take cameras into the valley.
In order to protect the royal tombs from further destruction and to preserve for the future, it is planned to create from the main faithful copies that can be visited instead. These include the grave of Seti I ( KV17 ), the grave of Tutankhamun ( KV62 ), and the grave of Queen Nefertari ( QV66 ) in the Valley of the Queens.
Other attractions in the surrounding area (some within walking distance ) are:
- Deir el- Bahari
- Deir el -Medina ( workers' tombs )
- Tombs of the Nobles ( Qurna, Qurnet Murrai, Al - Asasif, Dra Abu el- Naga )
- Medinet Habu
- Colossi of Memnon
- Ramesseum
- Valley of the Queens
- Temple of Hatshepsut