Valley of the Pharaohs in Egypt: description, features and history

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:41

Valley of the Pharaohs is an amazing place on the planet, representing a huge ancient cemetery of the Egyptian nobility. To the tombs of the richest people of ancient times and the burial places of the Egyptian pharaohs, you can go along the only narrow path. Where is the Valley of the Pharaohs? This area is located opposite the city of Thebes (west bank of the Nile).

Egypt: Valley of the Pharaohs

Luxor (ancient Thebes) is an Egyptian city that is constantly visited by tourists from all over the world. Their interest is a huge abundance of ancient monuments and significant places, among which is the Valley of the Kings. It was formed in the 16th century and was used for burials until 1075 BC. e.

Here sleep eternal sleep more than sixty pharaohs. Officially, this place, which also contained the graves of the wives and children of the rulers, was called the Great Magic Necropolis. During the time of Ramses the First, the arrangement of the Valley of the Queens began, but some wives were still buried with their husbands.

Location of the Valley of the Kings

Several reasons why the Valley of the Pharaohs was chosen for burials:

• A mound based on limestone, a building material that protected the graves from fractures and cracks;

• Convenience in advancing the funeral procession;

• inaccessibility - the area was protected by steep cliffs and was monitored by guards whose huts were located around the valley.

The Valley of the Kings consists of Eastern and Western parts. The main part of the graves is located in the East. On the west side there is one tomb open to the public. This is the grave of Tutankhamen's successor - Au. There are three more important burials in this part, which are being excavated to this day.

Description of the tombs

The history of burials was started by Pharaoh Thutmose the First; before that, all the Egyptian rulers found their last refuge in the pyramids.

The tombs were deep wells arranged in the rock, the entrances of which were securely covered with earth and littered with huge stones, and steep steps descended down. The path to the tomb was littered with various traps and traps. It could be suddenly falling doors and stuff.

The well rested against the burial chambers painted with frescoes, which depicted episodes of the deceased's earthly life and told about his afterlife. Sarcophagi were installed in the cells, laden with gifts for the deceased in abundance:expensive household items, jewelry intended to facilitate his afterlife.

Tombs under scrutiny of bandits

The tombs have always been under the scrutiny of robbers, so they were carefully guarded by specially created military detachments. If the robbery attempts were successful, then the attackers destroyed the mummies themselves, whose revenge the vandals were afraid of. It has been established that robbery attacks on the city were often carried out with the knowledge of local officials who were trying to replenish the impoverished treasury with processed treasures. Religious fanatics often visited the sarcophagi. They tried to save the mummies from desecration and destruction and transferred them to other cells.

Tomb of Tutankhamen

Unlike other tombs, plundered and empty, the most famous tomb of Tutankhamun has been preserved almost in its original form. During the construction of the nearby tomb of Ramses, it was accidentally covered with stones, which made it inaccessible for several centuries. It was discovered only at the beginning of the 20th century.

A deep corridor leads to a funerary vault painted with quotes from the Book of the Dead. There is also a sarcophagus, which is a stone structure. It is enclosed in 4 wooden chests, which are inserted into each other. The ceiling and walls are painted with scenes from the life of the ruler. Those who found the tomb of Tutankhamun were shocked by the abundance of gold and silver jewelry, as well as household items, the number of which was about 5,000 units. Among them were worksart of a bygone era, a gilded chariot, lamps, clothing, writing materials, and even a pharaoh's grandmother's tuft of hair. Several years were spent by scientists to compile an inventory of what was found. The pharaoh's face was covered with a golden mask representing a copy of the face.

The special decoration of the tomb was due to the fact that, being very young, the 18-year-old ruler returned the usual gods to the Egyptians, to whom they offered their prayers. Prior to this, the imperious Akhenaten - the predecessor of Tutankhamun - introduced a law in the country that allowed only one god to be worshiped. To determine how rich the we alth of the tomb is compared to the sarcophagi of other mummies, the archaeologists did not have the opportunity, because they were all devastated by robbery attacks by treasure hunters.

Burials of the Valley of the Kings

In the 80s, scientists began to draw up a detailed map of the Valley of the Kings. In the process, the tomb number five was discovered, the entrance to which was accidentally blocked during excavations of the tomb of Tutankhamun. It took several years to clear it, and only in 1995 archaeologists managed to get into it.

84 rooms were found in the tomb. Their walls were covered with inscriptions saying that the premises were planned for the burial of the sons of Ramses II. Furniture, figurines, ritual offerings, various items prepared for the afterlife were found there. There are suggestions that there are others below these rooms.

Burial No. 63 was found 5 meters from the tomb of Tutankhamen with several sarcophagi, but no mummies. To whom does it belong?installed. According to scientists, this is the tomb of the mother of the pharaoh or his wife.

There are also unfinished tombs in the valley, in which, judging by the contents, there were mummies. This confirms the presence of some fragments of decoration and human bones. The tomb of Pharaoh Seti the First is very interesting and unusual. With a length of 120 meters and consisting of a large number of chambers, it is a huge underground palace with a lot of ancient treasures. Most of the tombs are empty, and the mummies from them are assigned to the country's museums.

Exhibits of the city of Luxor can be called all the buildings, structures and monuments. About two million tourists visit this place every year. The Valley of the Kings (or the Valley of the Pharaohs) stores 64 sarcophagi, but not all of them are available for general viewing. The tombs are constantly being restored, they are all similar to each other in layout and decoration, each is assigned a number. The numbering was done in the order of their discovery. Photography is not allowed here, because flashes have a negative effect on the ancient paint.