Overview
The Valley of the Kings lies in the desert cliffs on the west bank of the Nile opposite ancient Thebes, modern Luxor. From the 16th to the 11th century BC the pharaohs of the New Kingdom gave up building pyramids and instead cut hidden tombs into the rock here; Thutmose I is traditionally counted as the first to do so.
Description
More than 60 tombs are known in the valley. Their corridors and chambers are covered with funerary texts and painted scenes of the netherworld, and the tomb of Seti I is counted among the finest of them all.
History and legacy
Nearly all of the tombs were robbed already in antiquity. The great exception, the nearly intact tomb of Tutankhamun, was discovered here in 1922, a find that made the valley famous worldwide. Since 1979 it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of Ancient Thebes.