Fodor's Expert Review Valley of the Kings
Once a burial location for New Kingdom pharaohs known only to a select few, the secret of the Valley of the Kings has long been out. Every year, 1.5 million visitors come to see a rotating selection of the 65 tombs that have been discovered, ranging from the unknown and unexcavated to an underground gallery displaying the pinnacle of art and architecture of ancient Egypt.
The well-publicized, 1922 discovery of Tutanhkamun, Egypt's short-lived "boy king," still draws many visitors, but it's actually one of the least splendid tombs in the valley, completed in a rush because of his untimely death and emptied of its gilded grave goods, which were relocated to Cairo museums. You might not have seen the names of Ramses V and VI (KV 9) or Seti I (KV 17) in your school textbooks, but you'll certainly want to know more after seeing the beauty and detail of the scenes that accompanied them into the afterlife.
The tombs in the Valley of the Kings are some of Egypt's greatest treasures,... READ MORE
Once a burial location for New Kingdom pharaohs known only to a select few, the secret of the Valley of the Kings has long been out. Every year, 1.5 million visitors come to see a rotating selection of the 65 tombs that have been discovered, ranging from the unknown and unexcavated to an underground gallery displaying the pinnacle of art and architecture of ancient Egypt.
The well-publicized, 1922 discovery of Tutanhkamun, Egypt's short-lived "boy king," still draws many visitors, but it's actually one of the least splendid tombs in the valley, completed in a rush because of his untimely death and emptied of its gilded grave goods, which were relocated to Cairo museums. You might not have seen the names of Ramses V and VI (KV 9) or Seti I (KV 17) in your school textbooks, but you'll certainly want to know more after seeing the beauty and detail of the scenes that accompanied them into the afterlife.
The tombs in the Valley of the Kings are some of Egypt's greatest treasures, but their existence is threatened just by visitors coming to see them. The hot temperatures in the valley actually bring in moisture—in the form of sweat and humid breath from tourists—that damages the 3,000-year-old art painted on fragile rock walls and ceilings. Dehumidifiers and glass screens have been installed in some of the busiest underground areas, and guides are not allowed inside any tombs to cut down on crowds.
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