Although this area may not look very impressive, we are near what has become known as the Valley of the Kings, although this picture was actually snapped facing away from the valley, overlooking the Temple of Nefertiti.
Early Egyptian Pharaohs built their tombs above ground, but found out that thieves tended to break into these impressive structures and steal all the beautiful ornaments meant to accompany the Pharaohs into their next life. So they started building underground, hidden tombs, located far away and hopefully safe from such dastardly depredations (pretty good vocabulary for a bunny, eh?). This valley got its name because so many tombs were discovered here, although most were already looted despite the Pharaohs' precautions. The one big exception is of course Tutankahamun's tomb, which alone out of all the ones we have found to date was intact and undisturbed.
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Here is a shot to show you just how rugged the terrain is near the valley. The actual tombs are located in the front lower center. |
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This is a close-up of the valley, again from overhead. The building you see is a rest area built by the Egyptians for tourists, and King Tut's tomb is just to the left of it. |
Egyptian Royal Tombs of the New Kingdom - A very informative site with diagrams and a good description, if somewhat academic-oriented.
Valley of the Kings Overview - Here is an even better site, run by archaeologists currently excavating the valley. One of the most interesting of all tombs, that of the sons of Rameses the Great, designated "KV5", has only recently been re-opened and is in the process of being excavated. You can follow the progress of this exciting work as it happens at this site by clicking HERE.
