Hours and hours of digging through dust and sand until one day… Oh the thrill of discovery on opening those tombs! All the (stolen) treasures that once adorned the now mostly empty hallways still leave a scent of their presence in the hot and dusty air.
Merenptah tomb
As the second largest tomb in the Valley of the Kings, it offers plenty of hyeroglyphs and reliefs with some very well preserved colours.
Tomb mural with Anubis in the centre
The use of animal symbols is ubiquitous, some interesting ones are scarabs, representing the sun god Ra and vultures, often painted on the ceiling to protect the entrance of the tomb and shield the dead with outspread wings.
Tomb entrance ceiling with painted vultures | Middle chamber mural | Tomb corridors covered in hieroglyphs | Pillared chamber with reliefs
Fun fact: Hieroglyphs can be read from left to right or right to left. The figures face the beginning of the text - if they face left, start from the left and if they face right, start from the right.
Rameses I tomb
One of the most well preserved tombs in the valley with vivid colours and a large sarcophagus.
Detail of a mural in the burial chamber
In white hat and clothes sits Osiris - god of the underworld, depicted with green skin as a symbol of regeneration. And apparently only gods have curved beards. Mere mortals have boring straight ones.
Burial chamber decorated with depictions of the pharaoh himself and various deities | The Sarcophagus in the centre of the chamber
Rameses III tomb
One of the longest tombs in the valley, there are colourful murals at each and every corner.
Burial chamber mural | Tomb entry hall and ceiling | Rameses III greeting the sun god Ra | Ankh symbol | Jackal representing Anubis
The tombs are engulfed by a mountainous arid landscape and get their name from the pyramid-shaped peak that looms over the pharaohs’ burial grounds.
