Last Updated: May 11, 2026
Valley of the Kings in Egypt is a desert valley on the west bank of the Nile, opposite modern Luxor, where pharaohs of the New Kingdom chose to be buried in hidden rock‑cut tombs instead of towering pyramids. From the 18th to the 20th dynasties, roughly 1539–1075 BC, it served as the principal royal cemetery for most of the great kings of this era, along with some queens and high officials. The valley lies beneath a natural pyramid‑shaped peak called al‑Qurn, which likely reinforced its symbolic connection to rebirth and eternal life. After Dendera Temple we traveled to the Valley of the Kings.
