Egypt, part three

The Valley of the Kings; one of the most famous historical sites in Egypt (probably after the Pyramids and the Sphinx). There are 64 tombs here, the most famous one being that of Tutankhamen. At any given time I think there are no more than about 15 tombs open to the public and your entry ticket ($16) allows you to see any three with two exceptions -- Ramses VI (extra $10) and Tutankhamen (extra $20!). Ramses VI costs extra because it is apparently the nicest of the tombs, and Tutankhamen's because it is so famous. Ironically Tutankhamen's is the smallest of the 64 tombs and one of the least decorated. If it wasn't for its fame from all the treasures it held the Egyptian government probably wouldn't even bother opening it to tourists. One colleague recommended seeing it, guidebooks were split on whether it was worth the bother and extra money. Mum and I were not too fussed about seeing his tomb so we gave it a pass.

Another irony regarding the two tombs is that the tomb of Ramses VI was the reason why Tutankhamen's tomb was undisturbed. Our guide pointed out that the entrance to Ramses's tomb was just a little above the hill from Tutankhamen's, so when workers were digging Ramses's tomb out of the hillside they dumped most of the rubble down the hill which buried the entrance to Tutankhamen's. Tutankhamen was a minor Pharaoh and did not rule for long (he died as a teenager) so his tomb was forgotten and tomb robbers never found it.

The Valley was pretty crowded even though it was late in the tourist season. Our guide said that around this time the Valley would get around 4000 tourists a day. At the peak of the tourist season it could be as high as 7000-8000 a day, maybe more. We had to wait in line to get into two of the three tombs, but just for a few minutes each time. Our guide was not allowed in so while we waited in line he stood with us and explained some of the things we would see in the tomb and specific painting/hieroglyphics to watch out for.

Mum and I saw:

KV2*: the tomb of Ramses IV
KV6: the tomb of Ramses IX
KV14: the tomb of Tausert and Setnakht

All three tombs had the wonderful artwork and hieroglyphics that we associate with ancient Egypt with depictions of various gods, animal-headed entities, and the steps one takes in the afterlife. The paint was original, the colours still vibrant after 3000 years. What surprised Mum and I the most was the size of the tombs, they had high ceilings of 10 to 15 feet, even in the corridors, and extended hundred metres or more into the hillside, which would have taken a lot of effort to carve out of the rock. They generally had 4-8 rooms connected by long corridors. Sometimes work was cut short because the intended recipient died, some parts of Ramses IX's had no decoration and in his burial chamber the walls were rough and crudely carved, yet were still painted with artwork and hieroglyphics. In KV14 some of the artwork was just outline sketches that had not been coloured.

We left the Valley content that we had seen good examples of the tombs there. Unless you are better versed in Egyptian history and hieroglyphics I am not sure it would be worthwhile to see every tomb possible.

From there we moved to the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, a few kilometres away.

Hatshepsut was the daughter of Pharaoh Tutmosis I and married her half-brother (Tutmosis II). Tutmosis II died when their son and heir was very young so she became regent to the young Tutmosis III. she quickly abandoned the pretext of being regent and ruled in her own right for about 20 years, in the process building a number of monuments including the Temple. (Tutmosis III did not take kindly to his mother's actions. After she died he tried to have her name erased from all monuments and inscriptions.)

The terraced temple is built at the base of some cliffs, with a number of column-filled rooms and halls on three levels connected by a large central ramp. The walls and columns of the Temple are carved with incantations to the gods, boats taking goods up and down the river, and scenes of military victories. On some of the interior scenes much of the paint, though faded, still remains. We wandered around for a while taking dozens of photos. Having a guide or a guidebook is essential as there is no signage explaining what anything is. My favourite part was the small Temple of Hathor on the left side of the Middle level, where about 20 closely-packed columns carved with dedications to the goddess Hathor surround the entrance to a small dark room carved into the hillside.

More to come next blog post.


*all tombs in the Valley were given a designation "KV" followed by a number. The number has nothing to do with the age of the tomb or its location in the Valley but instead it's the order in which they were discovered/explored by archaeologists. KV6 is next to KV 55, KV46 is between KV3 and KV4. Tutankhamen's is KV62, and KV9 is Ramses VI (so KV9 is the VI while KV6 is the IX, got it?)