Knowra Valley of the Kings Valley of the Kings A royal burial ground on the west bank of the Nile near Luxor, used mainly for pharaohs and powerful nobles of Egypt’s New Kingdom. Its rock-cut tombs preserve decorated burial chambers and evidence of changing funerary practices.
New Kingdom of Egypt : The period of ancient Egyptian history from about 1550 to 1070 BCE, marked by imperial expansion and powerful pharaohs. The valley served as a principal royal cemetery during this era.
Tomb of Tutankhamun : The tomb of the Eighteenth-Dynasty pharaoh Tutankhamun, discovered largely intact in 1922. Its burial goods made it the valley’s best-known archaeological discovery.
Rock-cut architecture : Architecture formed by carving rooms and structures directly into natural rock. Workers excavated the valley’s tombs into limestone cliffs rather than building above ground.
Thutmose I : An Eighteenth-Dynasty pharaoh who ruled Egypt in the early fifteenth century BCE. He is traditionally associated with establishing the valley as a royal burial place.
Tutankhamun's tomb discovery : The 1922 discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb by Howard Carter’s team in the Valley of the Kings. It transformed public interest in the valley and revealed an unusually rich royal burial.
Theban Necropolis : The ancient cemetery region on the west bank of the Nile opposite Thebes, containing royal and private tombs and temples. The Valley of the Kings forms one part of this wider funerary landscape.
Tomb of Seti I : The tomb of the Nineteenth-Dynasty pharaoh Seti I, notable for its length and richly decorated chambers. Its extensive paintings and architecture exemplify the valley’s monumental royal tombs.
Ancient Egyptian tomb architecture : The design of ancient Egyptian tombs, shaped by burial rituals, status, and beliefs about the afterlife. Its corridors, chambers, and burial rooms organized royal funerary spaces.
Thebes, Egypt : An ancient Egyptian city whose ruins lie at modern Luxor and whose west bank held major cemeteries and temples. The nearby capital and royal cult center made its western cliffs a fitting burial landscape.
Egyptology : The scholarly study of ancient Egyptian history, language, archaeology, and material culture. Excavation and study of the valley have made it central to Egyptological research.
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