Located across the Nile from Luxor, this ancient City of the Dead contains temples and tombs of past pharaohs. During the New Kingdom, a large population lived here as artisians, laborers, priests, and guards devoting their lives to the secrecy of the tombs, hidden in the hills. Each unique tomb contained the mummified remains of the pharaoh and his worldly possessions. Despite the secrecy, most tombs were vandalized by grave robbers. Only the discovery of finding King Tut's tomb, still intact, gave the world any idea what kind of treasures were accumulated. These treasures, which we saw in the Cairo museum, truly are spectacular!
The Valley of the Kings contains 64 tombs of pharaohs, while the Valley of the Queens contains burial sites for female royalty and the children. It is still being excavated today. Not all of the tombs are open, as they are rotated every few years. Others, like Ramses II, are permanently closed to tourists because of extensive damage.
We began our tour at 5:30 am. Our guide picked us up from our hotel and drove us over to the West Bank. The landscape looked like eroded mountains of the American west. Nothing appeared to grow in the severe harsh environment.
We passed a group of tourists riding donkeys en route to the Valley of the Kings, and were the first in line to buy our tickets. Admission to Valley of the Kings allows you to see three tombs for 20 pounds ($6 US). Valley of the Queens tombs cost 12 pounds ($4 US), except Queen Nerfertari's tomb costs an extra 100 pounds ($33 US) to visit for ten minutes. Worth it!! Only 150 people are allowed in per day to see "the finest tomb in all of Egypt."
Visiting the decorated, unique tombs was incredible and indescribable. Absolutely fascinating to enter a hole in the limestone mountain, and follow the maze-like passage into the interior of the tomb. Each was decorated differently with hieroglyphics, vivid colors, images, art and designed with hidden doorways, deep shafts and fake sarcophagi to fool the cunning robbers. As soon as you enter, you are wowed by the visual array of images. Such detail all along the passage. And then you get to the burial chamber and see the original sarcophagus. Amazing! (No, the mummy has been removed.)
The only thing I wasn't impressed with was our guide. We paid $100 US for a "guided tour" plus admission. Our Egyptologist was in poor physical shape. He mostly sat in the shade while we explored on our own. He indifferently recited a litany obviously memorized and couldn't answer any questions. And instead of going inside Hatshepsut's Temple, (which we had paid for), he retold the story of her reign while sitting in the comfort of his air-conditioned car. "Changing our program" he then brought us to the Ramesseum to view the ruined temple of Ramses II for a quick ten minute walk on flat surface.