Valley of the Kings

The Step Pyramid of Saqqara, the oldest pyramid in Egypt.

All the pyramids of Egypt date back to the Old Kingdom, the first kingdom in ancient times.  They were built as a final resting spot for the Pharaoh and the treasures that he was buried with.  Unfortunately the pyramids were also huge signs to robbers, they  screamed, “come to me, I am filled with treasure.”   Unfortunately, all the pyramids were being robbed of their treasures, so the pharaohs decided to start building secret tombs hidden away in the desert, tombs that no robber would be able to find.  These tombs are known to us today as the Valley of the Kings.

The Valley of the Kings was chosen as a burial site for several reasons.  First is the natural pyramid like rock formation that sits on top of the hills around the valley.  With a pyramid being a sacred shape, the pharaohs couldn’t ignore this as a sign.  The next reason is that the Valley is on the west side of the Nile where the sun “dies” at the end of each day as the sun always sets to the west.  So the pharaohs lived on the east side of the Nile (where the sun was born), but would be buried on the west side (where the sun died).

The rocks and hills that surround the Valley of the Kings.

Even though a lot of work was put into hiding the tombs and their treasures, all of them were eventually found by tomb robbers, except of the smallest tomb which belonged to Tutankhamun (but you probably know him as King Tut).  His treasures were found in 1922 by a British archaeologist named Howard Carter.  The treasure he found in the tomb is now on display at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

The Valley of the Kings across the Nile.

All the tombs are different shapes and sizes, and the bigger the tomb, the longer you ruled as Pharaoh.  The tombs were started when you became Pharaoh and only stopped being built once you died.  That is why the tomb of Ramses II is the largest, he ruled for around 60 years, and the tomb of King Tut is the smallest, because he was only in power for about 10 years. 

Image from inside a tomb taken from the Internet.

Unfortunately no pictures are allowed in the tombs because the camera’s flash can damage the beautifully painted walls, but you can just imagine it (or do a Google search for Valley of the Kings and you will find several images).  Dug deep into the hills of the desert, massive chambers and passageways leading to the tomb were a pharaoh would be laid to rest for eternity. All of this built with no jack hammers, no drills, just some simple tools and their hands.  Amazing!