Valley of the Kings in Egypt - rock stone complexes and tombs

For 1700 years, the Egyptians hid their dead kings in pyramids and tombs. The grave of Thutmose was built in the rock cave of the valley called Biban el-Muluk, now known as the Valley of the Kings. Next, more tombs were built here, now there are 64 of them. The burial chambers were hidden in rock caverns, and the temples of the pharaohs were placed on the plain.

Most of the pharaohs' tombs in the rock gorge at Thebes West were lavishly decorated with wall paintings depicting the life of the deceased or imagining the world of the dead. It tempted thieves to steal.

When archaeologists began excavation at the beginning of the 19th century, not one tomb was intact. After thorough searches for graves, it was stated that there are no more unpolluted tombs. But the most sensational discovery came later, when the English archaeologist Howard Carter discovered the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamen.

In this tomb were found, among others: a sarcophagus of gold, gold diadems and masks, jewels, statues, chariots, weapons, decorations and paintings. Their number was so great that it took over three years to take them all up.

In many tombs we can find interesting murals depicting eg scenes from everyday life of Egyptians, scenes from the afterlife according to the Book of the Dead, scenes from the night journey of the sun god through the world of the underworld in his barge and scenes showing the gods and goddesses with heads of animals.