Egypt and the Nile
Valley of the Kings
The Valley of the Kings is one of the most popular tourist sights in the world, and people flock here in huge numbers. The Valley of the Kings consists of the East Valley, where you can find most of the tombs of the New Kingdom Pharaohs, and the West Valley, which has only one tomb open to the public, and that is the tomb of Ay, who succeeded Tutankhamun to the Egyptian throne. So it is to the East Valley that the tourists flock to. The visitor can buy a standard ticket which allows access to three tombs, but this does not include the tomb of Tutankhamun, to visit this tomb, you will need to buy a separate ticket. Not all the tombs are open to the public, and others are closed from time to time so that restoration work can be undertaken. The numbering system for the 62 tombs was first developed by John Gardiner Wilkinson in 1827. He numbered the then known tombs 1 through 21 from the entrance to the valley in a southward direction. Since then the tombs have been numbered in the order they were discovered, with the sixtysecond tomb, that of Tutankhamun, being the last.
Towering over the Valley of the Kings stands a Theban Peak reminiscent of the shape of a pyramid. It is thought that this may have been a contributing factor as to why the Pharaohs chose this particular remote valley to build their tombs.
Tourists wait to gain entry into what must b the most popular tomb in the valley,
that of Tutankhamen. The boy Pharaoh was still a teenager when he died and was interned
in his tomb. Then in 1922 British Egyptologist Howard Carter working on behalf of
his patron Lord Carnarvon, finally discovered his resting place. The tomb itself
is very small and it is believed that it was not originally intended for him, and
that his early death resulted in the tomb being commandeered for his use. 
Next to
the burial chamber is a small room called the Treasury. In this room Carter discovered
a canopic chest containing the boy Pharaohs internal organs, and an amazing array
of treasures including a number of gilded figures. The Antechamber contained all
the items that the ancient Egyptians considered to be necessary for the Pharaohs
afterlife, including thrones, couches, dismantled chariots and even food. The tomb
still contains Tutankhamun's mummified body, which remained in its inner golden sarcophagus
for many years, the other two having been removed.
In 2007, 85 years after the original
discovery, due to the damage that was being done to the mummified body of the boy
king, by the humidity within the tomb, caused by the daily throng of visitors. The
body has been removed from its original coffin, to the other side of the tomb, where
it is now on display in a hermetically sealed display case. Apart from the head and
feet, the kings remains are in a very poor state, , so only these areas are on show,
with the rest of the body being covered by a linen cloth. Mystery has long surrounded
Tutankhamun's death. A CT scan of his body, the first one ever performed on an Egyptian
mummy, seemed to indicate that days before his death, he had broken his left leg
in an accident, and that this may have caused a fatal infection. It is believed that
Tutankhamun is the only Pharaoh still in the Valley of the Kings.
If you choose to buy the extra ticket to visit the tomb of Tutankhamun, then this
still leaves you the choice of which three tombs to visit using the standard ticket.
If you have the services of a guide then ask his or her advice, if not, then there
are information boards outside the tombs to help you decide. During very busy times,
long delays can build up for entry into the most popular tombs, so depending on how
long you can spend in the valley, you may have to make some compromises. Video cameras
are not allowed in the valley and have to be left at the entrance. Still cameras
are allowed but must not be used inside the tombs themselves.
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