Valley of the Kings in Luxor Egypt

The Valley of the Kings was the royal cemetery for 62 Pharaohs , and is located on the west bank at Luxor.

The only entrance to this place was a long narrow winding path. This was a secret place, where sentries were placed at the entrance of the Valley, as well as along the top of the hills, in the hopes of discouraging tomb robbers, who had in the past plundered all royal tombs, including the treasures of the Pyramids!

Some thefts were probably carefully planned, but others were spur of the moment, as when an earlier tomb was accidentally discovered while cutting a new one and workmen took advantage of the opportunity. This may have happened when KV 46 was found during the cutting of KV 4 or KV 3 nearby. The tombs in the Valley range from a simple pit (e.g. KV 54), to a tomb with over 121 chambers and corridors (KV 5).

John Gardiner Wilkinson first established the present numbering system, in 1827, as part of his preparation of a map of Thebes. Wilkinson painted the numbers 1 through 21 at the entrances of the tombs that were then visible. The numbers were assigned geographically, from the entrance to the Valley southward. Since Wilkinson's day, tomb numbers have been assigned in chronological order of discovery, KV 62 (Tutankhamen) being the most recent. Wilkinson's is not the only system of tomb designation that has been used in the Valley though. Several explorers assigned numbers, letters or descriptive labels to the tombs, as the accompanying chart indicates, but Wilkinson's is the only system that is still in use. There are two main wings to the Valley of the Kings, west and east! You will find that eastern side has the majority of the tombs, the western part having very few, but including the tombs of Amenhotep III and Ay.

A list of the KV's discovered (so far!)

KV 01 Ramses VII
KV 02 Ramses IV
KV 03 Cache of Ramses III
KV 04 Ramses XI
KV 05 Sons of Ramses II
KV 06 Ramses IX
KV 07 Ramses II
KV 08 Merenptah
KV 09 Ramses V / VI
KV 10 Amenmeses
KV 11 Ramses III
KV 12 Unknown
KV 13 Bay
KV 14 Tausert / Setnakht
KV 15 Seti II
KV 16 Ramses I
KV 17 Seti I
KV 18 Ramses X
KV 19 Mentuherkhepshef
KV 20 Hatshepsut
KV 21 Two Queens
KV 22 Amenhetep III
KV 23 Ay
KV 24 Unknown
KV 25 Akhenaten (?)
KV 26 Unknown
KV 27 Unknown
KV 28 Unknown
KV 29 Unknown
KV 30 Unknown
KV 31 Unknown
KV 32 Unknown
KV 33 Cache of Tuthmosis III
KV 34 Tuthmosis III
KV 35 Amenhetep II
KV 36 Maiherperi
KV 37 Cache of Tuthmosis III
KV 38 Tuthmosis I
KV 39 Unknown
KV 40 Unknown
KV 41 Unknown
KV 42 Hatshepsut-Meryetre
KV 43 Tuthmosis IV
KV 44 Anen (?)
KV 45 Userhet
KV 46 Yuya and Thuya
KV 47 Siptah
KV 48 Amenemopet
KV 49 Maya (?)
KV 50 Animals
KV 51 Animals
KV 52 Animals
KV 53 Unknown
KV 54 Cache of Tutankhamen
KV 55 Tiye, Akhenaten or Other
KV 56 Unknown
KV 57 Horemheb
KV 58 Cache of Ay
KV 59 Unknown
KV 60 Two Women (Setri In?)
KV 61 Unknown
KV 62 Tutankhamen
KV 63 New Tomb - Unknown

Source: http://www.ask-aladdin.com/valley.htm

Location Map of the Royal Cemetries in the King of Valleys



Things to Note When Visiting the Valley of Kings, Luxor

1) Your entrance ticket to the valley costs 55 LE (The ticket office is located at the entrance to the valley, at the end of the car park) and gives you access to three tombs of your choice.

2) Cameras are allowed into the valley area but you are not allowed to use them inside the tombs, you can only take pictures on the outside of the tombs.

3) Video cameras are not allowed into the valley at all! You will have to check-in your video camera at the entrance.

4) Guides / lecturers are not allowed into the tombs. Your guide will give you a full description of the tomb from the outside and will also recommend which tombs to visit.

5) If you wish to go inside the tomb of King Tutankhamen (KV62), you will need a separate ticket (70LE) which you can buy at the ticket office.

6) Please don't touch the walls of the tombs you are visiting.