Valley of the Kings

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Ancient Thebes With Its Necropolis (1979). More Than Sixty Royal Tombs Cut Into A Single Desert Valley Over Five Hundred Years, Including Tutankhamun'S And The Painted Corridors Of Seti I And Ramses VI · Luxor, Luxor

For about five hundred years the pharaohs of the New Kingdom were buried in a single dry valley behind the Theban hills, in tombs cut straight down into the rock and hidden rather than marked - the pyramids had proved too obvious. More than sixty have been found, from single chambers to Seti I's corridors running a hundred metres into the hillside, and almost every one was robbed in antiquity except Tutankhamun's, which is why a minor king became the most famous name in Egyptology. What survives is the decoration: ceilings of stars and astronomical figures, the Book of Gates and the Amduat carved and painted in colours that look days old because they sat in dry darkness for three thousand years. The standard ticket admits you to three tombs from a rotating list, with Tutankhamun, Seti I and Ramses VI priced separately. The valley itself is a furnace by ten in the morning, so this is a dawn visit or a poor one.

Dry valley behind the Theban hills on the west bank, reached from the visitor centre above Deir el-Bahari, Luxor, Luxor, Egypt

Open daily from early morning to late afternoon, with a shorter winter day and reduced Ramadan hours; the tombs close before the gate does. WHICH TOMBS ARE OPEN CHANGES CONSTANTLY and deliberately - the authorities rotate them to spread wear, so any list you read in advance will be partly wrong and the board at the visitor centre is the only authority. The standard ticket covers three tombs; Tutankhamun, Seti I and Ramses VI are each sold separately and Seti I is many times the price of everything else. Photography rules inside have changed more than once and may need a separate photo ticket, so ask at the barrier rather than assuming. An electric shuttle runs from the visitor centre to the tomb area. The west bank is reached by ferry or bridge from Luxor; most people arrive by taxi at opening.

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