Ramses VI
Outside you face a tall white mountain of rock. Near the base a black hole beckons you to enter one of the 64 tombs of the Valley of the Kings. It was the first tomb we entered and my first word was "WOW".
I was struck by the colors first, and the incredible designs and hieroglyphic images second. We walked down a wooden pathway, wide enough for three people, that was surrounded by pure Egyptian art all around us.
Paintings and text assisted pharaohs into the afterlife, providing them with directions and necessary knowledge before they entered the boat of Ra, their sun god who visited the Valley of Kings nightly. Once aboard, they were brought to Osiris, god of dead, where they were judged. If they passed, they'd board a second boat for their journey to the east, living forever in the company of the sun.
The ceiling was painted a dark blue with bright gold images of winged cobras, decapitated enemies and an elongated form of the goddess Nut, with stars and suns on her belly...details enlivening the Book of the Day and Night. Walls were decorated with scenes from the Book of the Dead, Book of the Caverns, and the Book of the Gates (which charted the course through the underworld). We followed the straightforward passageway that gradually sloped down and led to his burial chamber, which extended 83 meters inside the mountain.
In the final burial spot, a small room contains a smashed sarcophagus that resembled a large gray rock. Apparently robbers had broken it in two to see what treasures laid inside.
This is the 3rd largest tomb yet discovered here in the Valley of the Kings. The other two, Seti I and Ramses II, are permanently closed to the public because of extensive damage. I believe this tomb is usually included by most guides as part of the classic tour, likely due to it's vast size and relatively easy access. (It was the only tomb our breathless guide actually accompanied us into, as the rest were too strenuous to walk.)