Valley of the Kings | Ancient Egyptian Tombs & Archaeology

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src="https://cdn.britannica.com/85/19785-004-43136738/Valley-of-the-Kings-Egypt-World-Heritage-1979.jpg" alt="Kings, Valley of the" height="50" /> </a> <a href="/video/Overview-Valley-of-the-Kings-Egypt/191890" data-href="/media/1/318635/191890" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <div class="position-relative --aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/12/179812-138-05D719DA/Overview-Valley-of-the-Kings-Egypt.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="Journey through Egypt's Valley of the Kings" class="col-100" /> <div class="btn btn-sm btn-white btn-circle position-absolute shadow" style="top: 50%; left:50%; transform: translate(-50%, -50%)"> <em class="material-icons font-14" data-icon="play_arrow" > </em> </div> </div> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/99/4799-050-F1B26AEA/Tutankhamen-mask-tomb-king-Egyptian-Museum-Cairo.jpg" data-href="/media/1/318635/68746" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/99/4799-004-FA5ED821/Tutankhamen-mask-tomb-king-Egyptian-Museum-Cairo.jpg" alt="Tutankhamun: gold funerary mask" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/82/116482-050-72B23431/Mortuary-temple-Hatshepsut-Valley-of-the-Kings.jpg" data-href="/media/1/318635/124128" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/82/116482-004-46CAFA20/Mortuary-temple-Hatshepsut-Valley-of-the-Kings.jpg" alt="Mortuary temple of Hatshepsut" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/66/196766-050-28270F4C/Headrest-form-Shu-tomb-lions-collection-Tutankhamun-c-1340-bce.jpg" data-href="/media/1/318635/238289" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/66/196766-004-5B341164/Headrest-form-Shu-tomb-lions-collection-Tutankhamun-c-1340-bce.jpg" alt="Tutankhamun's headrest" height="50" /> </a> <a href="/video/discussion-some-sites-Egypt/129358" 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Dorman</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 clamp-description text-black">Peter Dorman received his PhD. from the University of Chicago in 1985 and served as the president of the American University of Beirut from 2005 to 2015. He has received numerous research grants and is...</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> Peter F. Dorman</span>, <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor" href="/contributor/Margaret-Stefana-Drower/784" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">Margaret Stefana Drower</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 clamp-description text-black">Fellow of University College, London; former Reader in Ancient History, University of London. Author of <i>Nubia: A Drowning Land</i> and others.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> Margaret Stefana Drower</span><span class="text-gray-700 mx-5">•</span><a class="see-all border-gray-700 gtm-byline" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Valley-of-the-Kings/additional-info#contributors">All</a> </div> <div class="font-serif font-12 text-gray-700"> <span class="qa-fact-checked-by">Fact-checked by</span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 font-12" href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 text-black">Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link font-12 "> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <span class="text-gray-700"> Last Updated: <time datetime="2024-11-08T00:00:00CST" >Nov 8, 2024</time> •</span> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Valley-of-the-Kings/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 ai-ask-button btn border-2 module-spacing btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Arabic: </dt> <dd>Wādī Al-Mulūk</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Also called: </dt> <dd>Valley of the Tombs of the Kings or</dd> </dl> <dl> <dt>Arabic: </dt> <dd> Wādī Bībān al-Mulūk</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Key People: </dt> <dd><a href="/biography/Giovanni-Battista-Belzoni" topicid="60237">Giovanni Battista Belzoni</a></dd> <dd><a href="/biography/Richard-Lepsius" topicid="336885">Richard Lepsius</a></dd> <dd><a href="/biography/Howard-Carter" topicid="97235">Howard Carter</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Related Topics: </dt> <dd><a href="/science/archaeology" topicid="32572">archaeology</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/tomb" topicid="598873">tomb</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/pharaoh" topicid="455117">pharaoh</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Related Places: </dt> <dd><a href="/place/Egypt" topicid="180382">Egypt</a></dd> <dd><a href="/place/Luxor" topicid="352358">Luxor</a></dd> <dd><a href="/place/Karnak" topicid="312539">Karnak</a></dd> <dd><a href="/place/Valley-of-the-Queens" topicid="486893">Valley of the Queens</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class="facts-item-none d-none"> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>On the Web: </dt> <dd><a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/architecture-astronomy-and-sacred-landscape-in-ancient-egypt/valley-for-the-kings/67BF9F21F043ED4AED3B8F597CCE04AA" target="_blank">Cambridge - A valley for the kings</a> (Nov. 08, 2024)</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/Valley-of-the-Kings"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> <button class="facts-list-show-more-btn mt-15 p-0 mx-auto btn font-14 d-block font-weight-normal"> <span class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></span> <span class="show-more-label">Show More</span> </button> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies multiple medialist slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100" data-type="other"><div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex"><div class="rw-track d-flex align-items-center"><div class="position-relative rw-slide col-100 px-20 "><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="139011" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/85/19785-050-5038E928/Valley-of-the-Kings-Egypt-World-Heritage-1979.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/318635/139011"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/85/19785-050-5038E928/Valley-of-the-Kings-Egypt-World-Heritage-1979.jpg"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/85/19785-050-5038E928/Valley-of-the-Kings-Egypt-World-Heritage-1979.jpg?w=300" alt="Kings, Valley of the" data-width="1600" data-height="1290" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/85/19785-050-5038E928/Valley-of-the-Kings-Egypt-World-Heritage-1979.jpg" data-href="/media/1/318635/139011">Kings, Valley of the</a><span>Valley of the Kings, Egypt, designated a World Heritage site in 1979.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div></div><button disabled="true" class="prev-button js-prev-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue-dark m-20"><span class="material-icons" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_left"></span></button><button disabled="true" class="next-button js-next-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue-dark m-20"><span class="material-icons" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></span></button></div><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref110546"></span>Valley of the Kings</strong>, long narrow defile just west of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Nile-River" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Nile River</a> in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Upper-Egypt" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Upper Egypt</a>. It was part of the ancient city of <span id="ref110547"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Thebes-ancient-Egypt" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Thebes</a> and was the burial site of almost all the kings (<a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/pharaoh" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">pharaohs</a>) of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/ancient-Egypt/The-New-Kingdom-c-1539-c-1077-bce#ref22309" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">18th</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/ancient-Egypt/The-aftermath-of-Amarna#ref22321" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">19th</a>, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/ancient-Egypt/Ramses-II#ref22326" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">20th</a> <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="dynasties" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dynasties" data-type="MW">dynasties</a> (1539–1075 <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span>), from <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thutmose-I" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Thutmose I</a> to <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ramses-X" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Ramses X</a>. Located in the hills behind <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Dayr-al-Bahri" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Dayr al-Baḥrī</a>, the 62 known tombs exhibit variety both in plan and in decoration. In 1979 <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/UNESCO" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">UNESCO</a> designated the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/valley" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">valley</a> part of the <span id="ref643929"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/World-Heritage-site" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">World Heritage site</a> of ancient Thebes, which also includes <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Luxor" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Luxor</a>, the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Valley-of-the-Queens" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Valley of the Queens</a>, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Karnak" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Karnak</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The kings of the <span id="ref110548"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/ancient-Egypt/The-New-Kingdom-c-1539-c-1077-bce#ref22308" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">New Kingdom</a> (<em>c.</em> 1539–1075 <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span>), fearing for the safety of their rich burials, adopted a new plan of concealing their tombs in a lonely valley in the western hills behind Dayr al-Baḥrī. There, in tombs sunk deep into the heart of the mountain, pharaohs were interred, as were several queens, a few officials of high rank, and the numerous sons of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ramses-II-king-of-Egypt" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Ramses II</a>. The plan of the tombs varies considerably but consists essentially of a <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="descending" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/descending" data-type="EB">descending</a> corridor interrupted by deep shafts to baffle robbers and by pillared chambers or vestibules. At the farther end of the corridor is a burial chamber with a stone <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/sarcophagus" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">sarcophagus</a> in which the royal <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/mummy" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">mummy</a> was laid and store chambers around which furniture and equipment were stacked for the king’s use in the next world.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="191890" data-asm-type="video"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="video" video-id="179812"><a data-id="179812" class="gtm-assembly-link d-flex justify-content-center" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9" href="/video/Overview-Valley-of-the-Kings-Egypt/-191890"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/12/179812-138-05D719DA/Overview-Valley-of-the-Kings-Egypt.jpg?w=800&h=450&c=crop" alt="Journey through Egypt's Valley of the Kings" loading="lazy"><script type="application/json"> { "sources": [ { "file" : "//content.jwplatform.com/manifests/IwApQ1uz.m3u8" } ], "image": "https://cdn.britannica.com/12/179812-138-05D719DA/Overview-Valley-of-the-Kings-Egypt.jpg" ,"tracks": [ { "file" : "//assets-jpcust.jwpsrv.com/tracks/jJPd9a6b", "label": "English" } ] ,"adfile": "//content.jwplatform.com/manifests/2UY9RSKd.m3u8" } </script><div class="btn btn-xl btn-white btn-circle position-absolute shadow" style="top: 50%; transform: translateY(-50%)"><em class="material-icons" data-icon="play_arrow"></em></div></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><span class="md-assembly-title font-weight-bold mr-5 d-inline font-sans-serif md-video-caption" video-control="179812">Journey through Egypt's Valley of the Kings</span><span>Overview of the Valley of the Kings, Egypt.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div><a class="font-14 mt-10 d-inline-block" href="/place/Valley-of-the-Kings/images-videos">See all videos for this article</a></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">The walls were in many cases covered with sculptured and painted scenes depicting the dead king in the presence of deities, especially the gods of the underworld, and with illustrated magical texts similar to those found in funerary <span id="ref110549"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/papyrus-writing-material" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">papyri</a>, designed to help him on his journey through the nether regions. There were a number of these texts; they represent differing but not necessarily conflicting views of the afterlife, in which the king had to undergo trials and surmount perils. In the “<span id="ref110550"></span>Book of That Which Is in the Underworld,” for instance, he travels in the boat of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/sun-worship" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">sun god</a> through 12 divisions that represent the 12 hours of the night. In the “<span id="ref110551"></span>Book of Gates,” giant serpents guard the portals through which the sun has to pass as strange demons help or hinder the boat on its way. Other funerary <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="compositions" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/compositions" data-type="MW">compositions</a> include the “Book of Day” and the “<span id="ref1011614"></span>Book of Night,” which depict <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Nut-Egyptian-goddess" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Nut</a>, the sky-goddess, spread out across the heavens, as well as the “<span id="ref1011615"></span>Book of the Heavenly Cow,” in which Nut is transformed into a cow on whom <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Re" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Re</a> ascends to the firmament. Astronomical figures decorate the ceilings of several burial chambers.</p><a class="link-module shadow-sm d-block qa-quiz-module" href="/quiz/ancient-civilizations" data-link-module-iframe-link=""> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/49/166349-131-66A6E2D7/people-Stone-Age-weapons-tools-pieces-stone.jpg" alt="Three flint axes from the stone age. (prehistoric, tools, early humans, culture, archaeology, implements)" class="rounded-sm mr-15" width="70" /> <div class="line-clamp clamp-5"> <div class="module-title bg-green">Britannica Quiz</div> <div class="font-weight-semi-bold mt-5">Ancient Civilizations</div> </div> </a><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies multiple medialist slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100" data-type="other"><div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex"><div class="rw-track d-flex align-items-center"><div class="position-relative rw-slide col-100 px-20 "><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="68746" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/99/4799-050-F1B26AEA/Tutankhamen-mask-tomb-king-Egyptian-Museum-Cairo.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/318635/68746"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/99/4799-050-F1B26AEA/Tutankhamen-mask-tomb-king-Egyptian-Museum-Cairo.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/99/4799-050-F1B26AEA/Tutankhamen-mask-tomb-king-Egyptian-Museum-Cairo.jpg?w=300" alt="Tutankhamun: gold funerary mask" data-width="728" data-height="1055" loading="eager"></picture><div class="position-absolute top-10 left-10 assembly-slide-tag rounded-lg">1 of 3</div><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/99/4799-050-F1B26AEA/Tutankhamen-mask-tomb-king-Egyptian-Museum-Cairo.jpg" data-href="/media/1/318635/68746">Tutankhamun: gold funerary mask</a><span>Tutankhamun, gold funerary mask found in the king's tomb, 14th century <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span>; in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div><div class="position-relative rw-slide col-100 px-20 "><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="124128" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/82/116482-050-72B23431/Mortuary-temple-Hatshepsut-Valley-of-the-Kings.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/318635/124128"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/82/116482-050-72B23431/Mortuary-temple-Hatshepsut-Valley-of-the-Kings.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/82/116482-050-72B23431/Mortuary-temple-Hatshepsut-Valley-of-the-Kings.jpg?w=300" alt="Mortuary temple of Hatshepsut" data-width="1600" data-height="1013" loading="eager"></picture><div class="position-absolute top-10 left-10 assembly-slide-tag rounded-lg">2 of 3</div><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/82/116482-050-72B23431/Mortuary-temple-Hatshepsut-Valley-of-the-Kings.jpg" data-href="/media/1/318635/124128">Mortuary temple of Hatshepsut</a><span>Mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut in the Valley of the Kings, Thebes, Egypt.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div><div class="position-relative rw-slide col-100 px-20 "><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="238289" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/66/196766-050-28270F4C/Headrest-form-Shu-tomb-lions-collection-Tutankhamun-c-1340-bce.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/318635/238289"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/66/196766-050-28270F4C/Headrest-form-Shu-tomb-lions-collection-Tutankhamun-c-1340-bce.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/66/196766-050-28270F4C/Headrest-form-Shu-tomb-lions-collection-Tutankhamun-c-1340-bce.jpg?w=300" alt="Tutankhamun's headrest" data-width="1600" data-height="1053" loading="eager"></picture><div class="position-absolute top-10 left-10 assembly-slide-tag rounded-lg">3 of 3</div><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/66/196766-050-28270F4C/Headrest-form-Shu-tomb-lions-collection-Tutankhamun-c-1340-bce.jpg" data-href="/media/1/318635/238289">Tutankhamun's headrest</a><span>Headrest in the form of the god Shu with two crouching lions, from the tomb of Tutankhamun, 14th century <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span>; in the collection of the Egyptian Museum, Cairo.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div></div><button disabled="true" class="prev-button js-prev-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue-dark m-20"><span class="material-icons" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_left"></span></button><button disabled="true" class="next-button js-next-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue-dark m-20"><span class="material-icons" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></span></button></div><p class="topic-paragraph">Virtually all the tombs in the valley were cleared out in antiquity. Some had been partially robbed during the New Kingdom, but all were systematically denuded of their contents in the 21st <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="dynasty" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dynasty" data-type="MW">dynasty</a>, in an effort to protect the royal mummies and to recycle the rich funerary goods back into the royal treasury. In the time of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Strabo" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Strabo</a> (1st century <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span>), Greek travelers were able to visit 40 of the tombs. Several tombs were reused by Coptic monks, who left their own inscriptions on the walls. Only the little <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/tomb" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">tomb</a> of <span id="ref110552"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tutankhamun" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Tutankhamun</a> (reigned 1333–23 <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span>), located on the floor of the valley and protected by a pile of rock chippings thrown down from a later Ramesside tomb, escaped pillage. The wonderful <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="treasures" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/treasures" data-type="EB">treasures</a> that were exhumed from Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922 and that now reside in the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Egyptian-Museum-Cairo-Egypt" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Egyptian Museum</a> in Cairo vividly indicate how rich the burial of a great <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/pharaoh" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">pharaoh</a> of the empire’s heyday must have been. The longest tomb (number 20) belongs to Queen <span id="ref643934"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Hatshepsut" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Hatshepsut</a> (reigned <em>c.</em> 1472–58), whose burial chamber is nearly 700 feet (215 metres) from the entrance and descends 320 feet (100 metres) into the rock.</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The largest and most complex tomb in the Valley of the Kings (number 5) was apparently built to contain the burial chambers of many of the sons of <span id="ref110553"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ramses-II-king-of-Egypt" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Ramses II</a> (reigned 1279–13), the greatest king of the 19th dynasty. This tomb, which had been previously discovered but dismissed as insignificant, was again located in the late 1980s and partially excavated in the 1990s. The uppermost of the tomb’s two levels contains a central pillared hall and various corridors leading away to dozens of chambers.</p><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="md-signature"><a href="/contributor/Margaret-Stefana-Drower/784">Margaret Stefana Drower</a></span> <span class="md-signature"><a href="/contributor/Peter-F-Dorman/4675">Peter F. 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Valley of the Kings | Ancient Egyptian Tombs & Archaeology | Britannica