The Valley of the Kings
Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert
Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist
I just learned that Tutankhamun’s tomb was opened on 16 February 1923. I knew about the discovery, but I didn’t really know the exact date.
It did get me thinking about our recent trip to Egypt and all the wonderful sites we visited and I decided to write about our visit to the Valley of the Kings.
So, let’s explore together and learn about some of the most famous tombs in the world at the Valley of the Kings—you won’t be disappointed!
The Valley of the Kings Overview
On day 5 of our cruise, we visited 3 sites. The first was the Valley of the Queens. The second was a large temple complex. The last stop of a busy 5 hours tour day was the Valley of the Kings. We visited 3 tombs. Here is a model of the Valley of the Kings in the visitor center and the second picture shows how the tombs were carved into the hillsides.
Walking on the grounds in the stark hills and valleys is what you will see in these next two pictures.
Most of the 63 tombs are marked with signs like this:
The Tomb Wall Decorations
The whole purpose of the wall paintings were to help the pharaohs in their journey to the afterlife. The burials scenes and offerings to their gods insured the pharaohs were also recognized as gods and live pleasantly in the afterlife. Many symbols of the gods adorn the walls and the cartouche of each pharaoh in a circle oblong knot identify exactly who the pharaoh was, preserves his place in history. While the tomb robbers wanted the gold and valuables left in the tomb, we of the modern world get to marvel at the art to learn about an ancient society—perhaps the best treasure of all.
King Tut’s Tomb
The story of the discovery of most famous tomb in Egypt is fascinating. Archaeologist and Egyptologist Howard Carter was a man obsessed with finding an intact tomb. His studies revealed the existence of a little known or remembered Pharaoh, Tutankhamun, reigning in 1333–1324 BCE.
He was determined to be the man to find Tutankhamun’s tomb.
But the evidence was scant, and the location of the Pharaoh's tomb, unknown. The only financing for excavations came from wealthy patrons and Carter could not finance his explorations alone—he needed financial help.
Carter found his patron-- George Edward Stanhope Molyneux Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon, an amateur Egyptologist. Carter was soon heading up all of Lord Carnarvon's digs in Egypt and he convinced Lord Carnarvon to allow him to look for Tutankhamun's tomb. Carnarvon agreed, but Carter's searches resulted no new findings for several years.
In 1922, Carnarvon agreed to allow Carter one more season of searching. On November 4, 1922, Carter found the steps to Tutankhamun's tomb, buried beneath rubble from houses built on top of the tomb. On February 16, 1923, Carter and Carnarvon opened the burial chamber for the first time, even though they had already been in the outer chambers..
They were astounded--Tutankhamun's tomb was the most intact tomb of a Pharaoh ever uncovered. Over 5,000 artifacts were eventually removed and provided to the Egyptian government. This find and the treasures became a worldwide sensation, as newspapers all over the world reported this amazing find.
The story doesn’t end there, as Lord Carnarvon died only a few months later, lending credence to the legend of the "curse of Tutankhamun's tomb”. Other members also died who entered the tomb, furthering the cruse’s legend.
Today, many have had the chance to view the amazing treasures recovered from the tomb on display in the Egypt Museum and in traveling shows worldwide. We also got the rare chance to visit the tomb. Here are the entrance signs prior to going into the tomb:
After descending some very step stairs, here is the wonderful wall paintings we got to see:
Finally, here is the mummy of King Tut:
Tomb of Ramses III
Ramses III is often referred to as the last great warrior pharaoh. He protected the borders, did a lot of public building (especially to the most important temples) and even planted trees to improve the kingdom. He ruled from 1186 to 1155 (31 years). This was entrance marker for the tomb of Ramses III.
Here is what the inside of the tomb walls look like:
Ramses IX Tomb.
The last tomb was the last of the Ramses, King Ramses IX, who ruled from 1129 to 1111 BCE. It was my favorite, as I could see the actual story of the King and his burial in the hieroglyphics.
Our Final Thoughts
Wow—what a report! We hope you enjoyed this report and our pictures.
We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts. We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe. We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you. We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.
When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip. You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience. And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process. We think we have all these qualities.
Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you! We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel. Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com. We want to help you: Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations! Your journey begins here!
ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management. Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry. Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA. Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations. She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors. An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.
HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 50 years. He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA). This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years. He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees. His other Certifications:
AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist
Viking River Cruise Specialist
Scenic River Cruise Specialist
Emerald Waterways Specialist
Avalon Waterways Specialist
Brit Agent
