Hidden in the desert cliffs on the west bank of the Nile at Luxor lies a dry, rocky valley that held the burials of Egypt’s most powerful rulers for almost 500 years. This is the Valley of the Kings, where pharaohs of the New Kingdom were laid to rest beneath a natural pyramid-shaped peak, surrounded by gold, magic, and some of the most spectacular wall art in the ancient world. Here is what makes it so extraordinary.

Why Did the Pharaohs Move Away From Pyramids?

For the first 1,000 years of Egyptian history, kings were buried in or near great pyramids. But pyramids were hard to hide, and their treasures were stolen again and again. When the New Kingdom began around 1550 BCE, the pharaohs tried a different approach: tombs cut deep into the rock in a remote valley, guarded by officials and out of sight.

The location was chosen with care. The valley sits below al-Qurn, a mountain peak whose natural pyramid shape may have carried religious meaning. It is across the river from Thebes (modern Luxor), the capital and the city of the god Amun, and the setting sun, linked to death and rebirth, falls in the west. Burials here are generally dated from the reign of Thutmose I, around 1500 BCE, to the end of the Twentieth Dynasty, around 1070 BCE.

The Arabs later called the area Biban el-Moluk, “the Gates of the Kings.”

How Many Tombs Are There?

Archaeologists have found 63 tombs and chambers in the valley, numbered in the order of their discovery with the prefix “KV” (Kings’ Valley). Not all of them belonged to kings. Some held queens, princes, and high officials, and some are simple pits or storage chambers.

The numbering gives each tomb its famous label: KV62 is Tutankhamun’s, KV17 is Seti I’s, and KV5 is the enormous tomb of the sons of Ramses II. Only a handful are usually open at any one time, since the paintings are delicate and the heat and humidity from visitors damages them.

The Famous Tombs
Tutankhamun (KV62)

The smallest of the major tombs is also the most famous. In November 1922, Howard Carter found the entrance, and he soon reached a sealed doorway and a chamber packed with treasure. Inside were more than 5,000 objects, including the golden funerary mask, thrones, chariots, and shrines.

Tutankhamun was a minor king in his own time, but his tomb was found almost intact, and that is why it changed our understanding of royal burial. The treasures are now displayed together at the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, while the king’s mummy remains in his tomb.

Seti I (KV17)

Discovered in 1817 by the Italian explorer Giovanni Belzoni, the tomb of Seti I is the longest and most elaborately decorated in the valley, reaching over 130 meters into the rock. Its walls are covered in colorful reliefs and an astronomical ceiling in the burial chamber. It is often called the most beautiful royal tomb in Egypt.

Ramses VI (KV9)

This tomb is famous for its vivid ceilings, which show the sky goddess Nut swallowing the sun at night and giving birth to it again at dawn. The corridors also carry detailed funerary texts. Its entrance was reused over time, which is one reason Tutankhamun’s tomb below it stayed hidden for so long.

Ramses III (KV11)

Sometimes called the “Tomb of the Harpers” for its paintings of musicians, this tomb has rich, well-preserved colors and scenes of the king before the gods.

Thutmose III (KV34) and Hatshepsut (KV20)

Thutmose III’s tomb is hidden high up in a narrow cleft, reached by a steep climb, and its burial chamber is shaped like an oval cartouche. Hatshepsut’s long, winding tomb is among the deepest in the valley.

KV5: The Tomb of the Sons of Ramses II

Rediscovered and explored in the 1990s, KV5 turned out to be the largest tomb in Egypt, with well over 100 chambers and corridors. It is thought to have been a family mausoleum for many of Ramses II’s numerous sons, and excavation work there continues.

What Do the Walls Say?

The painted walls were not decoration. They were instructions for the king’s journey into the next world. Common texts include:

The Amduat (“That Which Is in the Underworld”): a guide to the sun god’s night voyage through twelve hours of darkness.
The Book of Gates: describes gates guarded by serpents and gods that the soul had to pass.
The Book of Caverns and the Litany of Ra: later funerary compositions that continued these ideas.

By reading and reciting these magical texts, the dead king would join the sun god Ra on his nightly voyage and be reborn each morning, just as the sun is.

Who Built the Tombs?

The tombs were not built by slaves, which is a common myth. They were carved and painted by skilled, paid craftsmen who lived in the nearby village of Deir el-Medina. The workmen came from families of stonecutters, plasterers, draughtsmen, and painters, and their villages left behind letters, records, and receipts on pottery and stone fragments.

One of these records describes what is often called the first recorded labor strike in history, during the reign of Ramses III, when workers stopped work because their food rations were late.

Tomb Robbers and the Royal Mummies

Despite the secrecy, nearly every tomb was robbed in antiquity, often by people who knew the valley well. Documents from the late New Kingdom describe trials of tomb robbers. As Egypt grew weaker, priests moved many royal mummies to hidden caches to protect them.

Two of those caches shaped modern archaeology. In 1881 a hiding place near Deir el-Bahari was found containing the mummies of many great pharaohs, including Ramses II and Seti I. In 1898 the tomb of Amenhotep II (KV35) was found to hold a second collection of royal mummies. Many of those pharaohs now rest in the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Cairo.

Is the Valley Still Giving Up Secrets?

Yes. In 2005, a small chamber named KV63 was found near Tutankhamun’s tomb, filled with storage jars and embalming materials. Excavations, conservation projects, and digital documentation continue across the area, and archaeologists believe more discoveries could still lie beneath the sand and rubble.

Visiting the Valley of the Kings
Tickets: General admission usually covers a limited number of standard tombs, and the most famous ones, such as Tutankhamun’s and Seti I’s, typically require separate tickets. Prices and rules change, so check the current details before you go.
Go early: Arrive at opening to beat the tour buses and the heat.
Photography: Rules about cameras and phones inside the tombs vary and change, so check the current policy at the gate.
Dress and pack: Wear light clothes, a hat, and sturdy shoes, and bring water. Summer temperatures can be extreme, and the tombs can feel hot and humid inside.
Combine your visit: Many people pair the valley with the Temple of Hatshepsut, the Colossi of Memnon, and Medinet Habu for a full West Bank day.
Consider a guide: Understanding the funerary texts makes the paintings much more meaningful.
Final Thoughts

The Valley of the Kings is a place where religion, engineering, and art met in the service of eternity. The pharaohs hoped their hidden tombs would protect them forever, and while the treasures were mostly lost, the walls still tell the story of how Egyptians imagined the afterlife. Walk down the corridors and you are following the same path as the ancient craftsmen who painted them more than three thousand years ago.

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