Isn’t the Valley of the Kings utterly amazing, I had such a great time there. uncovered a new tomb of a woman dating back 3,000 years. Lots of tour buses turn up each day with crowds and crowds of tour groups. Third Eye Traveller is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com & Amazon.co.uk. Or also, Ta-sekhet-ma’at (the Great Field).Archaeologists have found that most of the ancient graffiti is located in KV9, which contains just under a thousand of them. Who knows what they’ll find next? Glad you found it helpful. Valley of the Kings | Definition, Tombs, & Facts Alternative Titles: Wādī Al-Mulūk, Wādī al-Bībān al-Mulūk Once called the Great Necropolis of Millions of Years of Pharaoh, or the Place of Truth, the Valley of the Kings (Wadi Biban al-Muluk) has 63 magnificent royal tombs from the New Kingdom period (1550–1069 BC), all very different from each other. I’ll just like to say thank you very much for having this blog I read every single post that you have made for Egypt. These next two tombs were not open during our visit. Valley of the Kings is located on the west bank of the Nile near Luxor opposite Thebes, in the hills behind Dayr Al-Bahri. KV17 – Seti I   1,000 EGP per person Do we have to get tickets for them? I highly recommend Egypt Tailor Made if you want personalized service for your trip to Egypt. One thing that remains constant though, be it a regular camera or cell phone camera, under NO condition do you use a flash at any time while in a tomb. His is the smallest of the tombs you can visit in the Valley of the Kings, but when it was discovered by Howard Carter in 1922, it contained the largest and most elaborate collection of artifacts of any tomb in the valley. The official name for the site in ancient times used to be: The Great and Majestic Necropolis of the Millions of Years of the Pharaoh, Life, Strength, Health in The West of Thebes. Horemheb was the last pharaoh of the 18th dynasty of Egypt. You’ll be spending at least an hour or two at Valley of the Kings, so I would make sure you keep water on you. Hope you had an amazing time on the rest of your Egypt trip, thanks for stopping by. Eight of them are included in your standard ticket and you can choose three out of the below; Then the three that require extra tickets are; It’s probably a good time to say that tour guides are not allowed to enter the tombs with you out of respect for the dead, so you’re on your own inside. Thank you! About the spellings in this article: Spellings of the names of the kings and queens can vary according to the source. The following list, therefore, is only intended as a rough guide and does not include all tombs, and some may even be closed at the time of writing this article. What Tombs Are Open in the Valley of the Kings. Long passageways, with detailed artwork that is protected behind glass, lead down to the burial chamber. The others aren’t as impressive for photos (in my opinion). Wrong. Opens around 19:30 during Ramadan Mummification Museum: 9:00-14:00, 16:00-21:00: NO: 50: WEST BANK: Colossi of Memnon: Free: OK: Free: Along the Road(No Gate) VALLEY OF THE KINGS: Tut Ankh Amen: 6:00-17:00 (closed 13:00-14:00） NO: 100: Buy ticket at the gate: Ramses VI: 6:00-17:00: NO: 50: But ticket at the gate: Ramses I: 6:00-17:00: NO: 80 for three tombs The Valley of the Kings gets crowded after 10am, 8. KV62 – Tutankhamun    300 EGP per person. What a way to start. Ah thank you, I actually took it in a tourist alabaster shop that my taxi driver took me too. Super stressful in the heat! If you were interested, the signs outside of each tomb do a good job of explaining the significance of each tomb, who’s buried there, the history and the decoration in side. I have just returned from my tour of Egypt which included the Valley of the Kings & I have exciting news regarding photography IN the tombs! So, the Theban hills and the peak of Al-Qorn, which has a pyramid-like shape, was chosen as the perfect location. Hi WJR, Thanks for this awesome insight. I was also on a tour with Memphis tours for one of my visits and they let us choose our tombs! KV47 – Siptah. I have just returned from an utterly amazing trip to Egypt (September 11 – September 24, 2019) which included a visit to the Valley of the Kings. You cannot visit them all, but worth visiting as many as you can when you go. All rights reserved © Earth Trekkers. Then the driver approached me and asked for my ticket for the tram and I should have bought a ticket at the counter! Only eighteen tombs are currently open to the public, and these rotate so not all of them are open at the same time ; Valley Of The Kings Chronology. I tipped the driver in the end as I was too hot and couldn’t be bothered to get back in the queue :P. At the moment out of the 63 tombs, there are eleven tombs in the Valley of the Kings open to the public. Only the Tomb of Ay (out of 16 available tombs) is open to the public. Read all of our articles about Egypt in our. The number of tombs open to the public varies from time to time so it is difficult to produce any kind of definitive list. Please see my disclosure policy for details. Five minutes later they’ll be hawking the next group. Below are photos and a few facts about each tomb, with information on two spectacular tombs that were not open during our visit. There’s no way of getting to the Valley of the Kings without it either unless you take a long sweaty walk in the heat. https://thirdeyetraveller.com/wp-content/uploads/GIZA-1-of-1-27.jpg. They’ll entice you in with an unbelievably good price, then when you get inside the shop it will be bumped up to 10x what they said! You enter the visitor center and go through. Pro Travel Tip: The tombs that are available to visit change periodically. The extra expense for the tomb of Ramesses V and VI is worth every penny. If you want to see the mummy of King Tut, then it is worth it for 300 EGP. On most tours, they’ll provide water for you. This was my second favourite tomb of all of them as the preservation was spectacular. Take care and thanks for all your great Egypt content. complete guide of how to get a visa for Egypt as a UK citizen here, Howard Carters house which is now a museum. From what I read online, this is one of the most spectacular tombs in the Valley of the Kings. Because of the enormous amount of sites to visit, we visited the West Bank twice. Therefore I appreciate your detailed update. This was used as a church for a short period of time and it is possible to see Coptic graffiti in this tomb. The walls of the burial chamber are covered with scenes of the first complete version of the Amduat, or “That Which is in the Underworld.”. Seti I is the best tomb to see – expensive yes, but by far the most amazing (I visited all but one tomb of the 10 open in January 2020). While you’re in Luxor, I would highly recommend a visit to the Temple of Hatshepsut, the Valley of the Queens, Madinet Habu, the Colossi of Memnon, Karnak temple, Luxor temple and a hot air balloon ride for sunrise over the West Bank. The things they don’t tell you about visiting the tombs in the Valley of the Kings – that could actually be useful, 1. Thanks Terry, Hi Terry, the photo pass only allows 3 tombs. As a Brit, the honour of queueing is a sacred ritual, so I wasn’t best pleased and quickly told them to wait their turn. So buy your tickets at the counter. When you make a purchase using one of these affiliate links, we get paid a small commission at no extra cost to you. Your heart would be weighed on a scales against a feather. I don’t think that it is necessary to purchase two entrance tickets into the Valley of the Kings in order to visit six included tombs. It is also the favorite of our guide, Ali. It contains two tombs, the first one for Queen Tausert. There are no vendors here after you’ve left on the tram, so make sure you bring some before you leave or at the market stalls. KV8 – Merenptah So, even if you paid extra for another tomb entry, you can only take photos in 3 tombs. I only mentioned Queen Cleopatra as it’s something they are still on the lookout for. Hi and thanks so much for these detailed recommendations. However, it is spectacular. waiting to view a tomb. Ah that’s such a shame and disappointing! I would personally save a photo pass stub for your entry to Ramses V & VI, it’s by far the most beautiful tomb!! At the end of the list, I will give you two more recommendations for tombs that were not open during our visit. This was our favorite tomb that is included on the main ticket to the Valley of the Kings. Here are the best tombs in the Valley of the Kings. Tombs That Are Open to the Public. With its big price tag, it better be spectacular, right? This determined if your soul was worthy enough to enter the Kingdom of Osiris. The tombs in the Valley of the Kings extra tickets and photo passes. Spooky. This is the largest tomb in the Valley of the Kings. But, if you wish to take with a digital camera you must buy a photo pass. Decorations in Ramses IX are from the Book of the Day, The Litany of Ra, Book of the Night, opening mouth ceremony, Book of Caverns and Book of the Dead. Of these, fifteen are currently open to the public: Ramesses I, Ramesses III, Ramesses IV, Ramesses V/VI, Ramesses VII, Ramesses IX, Seti II, Siptah, Merenptah, Thutmose III, Thutmose IV, Mentuherkhepshef, Tausret/Sethnakht, Ay, and Tutankhamun. In 2001, new signs of the tombs were designed by Theban Mapping Project to provide new information about the open tombs. I felt a sense of triumph when I finally bought my tickets, I made it! Today, only 18 of the valley’s 63 tombs can be visited by the public, and they are rarely open at the same time. In case you missed it, here is the link to our guide on how to visit the Valley of the Kings. I would like to know if water bottles are available outside these visiting places or should we carry them from our hotels. hot air balloon ride for sunrise over the West Bank. This is a royal burial ground, with exquisitely decorated tombs for the pharaohs who ruled Egypt between 1539 and 1075 BC. They are listed in order of their tomb number. Julie Last updated: December 15, 2020 Egypt 4 Comments. KV6 is quite plain on the corridor walls compared to the other tombs as you walk in, the carvings are there but there’s not much preserved paint. Do they look authentic? Wonderful read. I saw lot’s of people with walking sticks to assist them. They would also leave room for their treasures and bring weapons and statues to embody slaves to take with them to the afterlife. There are 63 known tombs in the valley, 26 carved for kings and the others granted to royal family members or the highest of the elite. This was my favorite tomb in the Valley of the Kings. Not to mention it’s hotter than hell inside and full of tourists, who also don’t have a clue what’s going on! ), in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited. Sign Up to Get the Latest Adventures Straight to Your Mailbox! In February I started a bicycle trip in Luxor, heading to Khartoum in Sudan, and was pretty overwhelmed by all the options in Luxor. Currently, eight tombs are included on the main ticket into the Valley of the Kings. This is another one of t… My, my! KV1 – Ramesses VII It’s cheap. I’m traveling on my own to Egypt (Cairo, Aswan, Luxor) in october. It closes at 5pm each day. Republishing this article and/or any of its contents (text, photography, etc. However, from what I read online and from talking to our guide, Ali, these two tombs are spectacular. The paintings here will blow your mind and the burial chamber at the end is pure magic. There will also be lots of photos in this post as I was determined to make the most of that photo pass ;). I know they open and close tombs in the Valley of the Kings to preserve the art and tomb. Required fields are marked *. Valley of the Kings Facts. My girlfriend and I will be traveling to Cairo and Luxor in February. This post may contain affiliate links. The tombs are labeled with the abbreviation “KV,” which stands for Kings Valley. Our website uses cookies. My kids are 4 and 8 years of age. Even if it's on their own! The Valley of the Kings is an incredible place. Howard Carter and nine others died within 10 years of opening the tomb and many blame the “Curse of King Tut”. When you’ve walked through the massive tourist market and through security, you’ll then walk through the information centre. I’m making my own list of tombs to visit and this article helped me a lot!! I actually organised this with my cab driver who took me and my cases from the airport! Just keep it in your bag and don’t get it out. The Valley of the Kings is a burial ground for pharaohs who ruled Egypt during the 18th, 19th, and 20th dynasties (the New Kingdom of Egypt). I didn’t know at the time (and wasn’t told this) but you need to buy your ticket at the counter. Required fields are marked *. If you’re thinking of seeing Luxor independently, you can check out my 3 day itinerary here which will make sure you see the best of the city. King Setnakht usurped Tausert’s tomb, enlarging it and adding several lower passageways and a pillared hall for his burial chamber. Thanks! For many years after specialised restoration and conservation projects in two of the most beautifully decorated tombs of ancient Egypt, Tomb of Seti I (KV17) in the valley of the Kings and tomb of Nefertari (QV66) in the valley of the Queens, were closed for public with exception for private visits for nearly 20 thousand Egyptian pounds (approx. It’s quite a short tomb but the vibrancy of the hieroglyphics more than make up for it! YES, this is the tomb that put Valley of the Kings on the map and made it world famous! However, it has not been open in years. This tomb features a passageway that features low reliefs with the Litany of Ra. For example, the name for Tausert, a female ruler during the 19th dynasty, can also be spelled Twosret, Tawosret, and Tausret. For outfit ideas, I’ve made the. The Old Kingdom of Egypt saw many kings wanting to be buried in Pyramid style tombs in the old capital of Memphis near Cairo. Open to public: Yes KV63: Unknown: 18th dynasty: The purpose of this tomb is currently unknown. One for normal tickets and one for extra tickets. Personally, I organised a private car to the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Hatshepsut, the Colossi of Memnon and Madinet Habu. Walk to the exit and turn right. King Tutankhamun died at the very young age of 19. If you want to see more than three tombs, you will have to purchase an additional ticket. I mean, you’re only here once right?! If you are trying to decide between Seti I and Queen Nefertari, we recommend Queen Nefertari. There are no fans and some, like Tutankhamun, are climate controlled. ), Ramses V & VI – KV9 (Requires an extra ticket). You can sneak in photos and pay a tip but buying a photo pass allows you more freedom to shoot. Sophie x, Sophie, so you’re allowed to visit 3 tombs and take photos (with pass). Goddess Nut (pronounced Noot), the sky goddess, appears regularly in the rooftops of many tombs and temples throughout Egypt. From what we read online prior to our visit, both of these tombs sounded rather mediocre. Initially I was contemplating as to whether or not to go into King Tut’s tomb, but if I’m allowed to take pictures with my cell phone I assume that it will be worth it. KV14 – Tausert-Setnakht It was the first royal tomb to be discovered still largely intact (although tomb robbers had entered it), and was for many years the last major discovery in the valley. Also, the extra tombs don’t cost too much apart from SETI I so I would personally recommend them as you only live once :) have a great time in Egypt! There are two tombs that we did not visit, Ramesses VII (KV1) and Siptah (KV47). Of the eight tombs that are included on the main entrance ticket, we recommend KV2 (Ramesses IV), K11 (Ramesses III), and KV 14 (Tausert and Seknakht). Egypt Travel Tips: Things to Know Before You Travel to Egypt, 10 Day Egypt Itinerary: Cairo, Luxor, Aswan & Abu Simbel, Abu Simbel: Everything You Need to Know to Plan Your Visit, 10 Days in Greece: Athens, Mykonos, Naxos and Santorini, 5 Days in London: The Perfect Itinerary for Your First Visit, Road Trippin’ on the Garden Route of South Africa, 3 Months in Southeast Asia: Travel Guide & Itinerary, Valley of the Kings: The Complete Guide for 2021, Complete Guide to the West Bank of Luxor, Egypt, 10 Day Egypt Itinerary: Cairo, Aswan, Luxor, & Abu Simbel. There will be two ticket counters. Ali, our Egyptologist, helped us choose the best tombs to visit in the Valley of the Kings. I would double check personally to make sure how many tombs you’re entitled to with it. Luxor was the most aggressive sales city in Egypt. The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities opened three tombs in Luxor’s Valley of the Kings to the public for the first time on Thursday. Thank you very much for letting me know, as to sites you can take pictures in, and then you can use your cellphone camera to do it. Things to know and prepare before you visit Egypt, How to reach the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. This is for both mobile phones and digital/DSLR cameras. Some tombs may close for renovation and another tomb will open to the public. Now a Sofitel, this hotel was built in 1866 by Thomas Cook & Sons and catered for famous residents like Lord Carnarvorn. If you are lucky enough to visit the Valley of the Kings when either of these temples are open, it is worth it to add them to your list. Many visitors state that this is the best tomb to visit in the Valley of the Kings. Most people visit with tour groups and let their guide buy the tickets. So, the tour guide will wait outside for you. There are over 60 tombs in this small area, although only a handful are open to public. You’d assume it would be cold right? Once again, thanks for taking the time to comment and I will update the post. If you’re a history lover, than you should stay at none other than the famous Winter Palace. So, in this guide, I’m going to demystify a visit to the tombs in the Valley of the Kings. Getting there: the Western Valley is accessed by a winding dirt and stone road that begins at the car park of the Valley of the Kings. KV2 – Ramesses IV The 4 Best Tombs in the Valley of the Kings for Photos & 11 Things They Don’t Tell You About Visiting! Like this post on the best tombs in Valley of the Kings? It’s a downhill walk through a long passageway where some of the walls are barren and some of the walls contain images of King Merenptah with the god Ra-Horakhty. Such a useful article. Unlike the Pyramids, kings of the New Kingdom would build elaborate tombs. But, make sure you haggle as taxi drivers/tour guides gain hefty commissions. There’s usually a queue to head down there and it can get stifling. The guards here are really strict on a lot of things. The West Bank, where the sun sets each day, represents the realm of the Dead. The entry ticket gains access to three tombs, with extra tickets to see the tombs of Ay, Tutankhamun, Seti I and Ramses VI. In this tomb, you can also see an unfinished room, with the planned reliefs sketched in red and black ink. So, I’d have tour guides shoving money through the counter inches from my face as they were in a hurry. Also, you no longer need a photo permit for cell phones, just needed for actual cameras. One of the guards asked me to follow him. The tour group weren’t showing tickets for it, so I assumed it was included in the price. How much are Valley of the Kings tickets and photo passes? I’m glad you got to explore 10 tombs, that must of been an amazing experience. 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Though for now as tourism and valley of the kings tombs open to public burial chamber or bring water before you visit Egypt, here are of.