The remote location of the Valley of the Kings is where the pharaohs dating back to 1500 BC are buried. The ancients chose the hidden Valley of the Kings because they hoped to prevent the grave robbing that was done at the pyramids in upper Egypt near Cairo. However, they were unsuccessful. Of the 62 tombs found in the Valley of the Kings, only 3 were not raided, the most famous of which is the tomb of Tutankhamun (King Tut). Tutankhamun's tomb was uncovered by Howard Carter in 1922, and was the last tomb numbered (KV 62). Although most of the tombs have been raided, the spectacular writings and paintings on the inside of the tombs remain, preserved by the dry climate. Photographs are not allowed inside the tombs, but the mental picture will stay with you forever. Can you imagine starting to prepare a tomb the day a pharoah ascends the throne, then working along side thousands of other subjects to dig the tomb and decorate the inside with stories of his reign, all without modern tools or electricity? This burial site of the ancient pharoahs may not look like much from the outside, but the inside more than makes up for it. Archaeologists believe many more tombs are in the mountains on the west bank of the Nile.
Leaving the Valley of the Kings, we stopped at an alabaster craftsman's shop before our visit to Medinat Habu, the large temple of Ramses III.
