Fromgold sandalsto lavish sarcophagi, remnants of their craftsmanship can be found in museums across the globe.
However, to fully appreciate the effect of these opulent burials, you have to see the original tomb.
The most famous and elaborate collection of royal tombs is called theValley of the Kings.
Inside the tomb of Ramses V and Ramsses VI, Valley of the Kings (Photo: Tim Adams viaWikimedia Commons,Attribution 3.0 Unported)
Among the discoveries made there are the chambers of Tutankhamun, Seti I, and Ramesses II.
It even has a counterpart for the wives and relatives of pharaohs called the Valley of the Queens.
Scroll down to learn more about the history and contents of the Valley of the Kings.
Panorama of Valley of the Kings (Photo: Rolfcosar viaWikimedia Commons,CC BY-SA 4.0)
What is the Valley of the Kings?
It has 63 known rock-cut tombs that are spread across two valleys called East Valley and West Valley.
It was during this time that pharaohs sought out even more elaborate tombs that would demonstrate their influence.
Francis Frith, Photograph of Valley of the Kings, c. 1857 (Photo:Metropolitan Museum of ArtviaWikimedia Commons,Public Domain Dedication)
This led the earliest pharaohs to construct the first tombs at the Valley of the Kings.
Each of these varies greatly in size and complexity.
Some tombs contain over 120 chambers while others accommodate only one.
James Fergusson, Illustration of Seti I’s tomb from “A History of Architecture in All Countries” vol. 1, 1887 (Photo: Public Domain viaWikimedia Commons)
The purpose of this art was to help the person on their journey to the afterlife.
However, like most of the tombs, it has also been robbed of most of its funeral decoration.
Tutankhamun
AlthoughTutankhamun’s tombis by far the most famous, it is actually quite small in size.
The most well-known of these is the tomb ofQueen Nefertari, who was the wife of Ramesses II.
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Left: Map of Valley of the Kings (Photo: LInkk viaWikimedia Commons,CC BY-SA 4.0)Right: Bust of one of the four external seated statues of Ramesses II at Abu Simbel, Egypt (Photo: Ad Meskens viaWikimedia Commons,CC BY-SA 3.0)
Inside King Tut’s Tomb, Valley of the Kings (Photo: EditorfromMars viaWikimedia Commons,CC BY-SA 4.0)
Map of Valley of the Kings (Photo: Markh viaWikimedia Commons, Public Domain)
Photograph of Valley of the Queens (Photo: Olaf Tausch viaWikimedia Commons,CC BY 3.0)
Mural inside the tomb of Nefertari, Valley of the Queens (Photo: The York Project viaWikimedia Commons, Public Domain)
