Luxor – Valley of the Queens/Kings/East Bank
So called because, surprisingly, all the statues are located in a valley.
It looks like the valley was created through a mixture of basalt/limestone erosion. The tour guide said it rains once every five years for about 20minutes, so any erosion here taking place because of the Nile or it’s flood activities.
For either reason, limestone hilletts have formed in a way you might imagine of hobbiton (the Shire) except in rock. In these little hobbit holes are tombs of dead Kings and Queens from many centuries ago.
Cameras are not allowed.
Hatsheput – Valley of the Queens
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Dressed as a man for purposes of retaining the throne in co-horts with political powers in Egypt at the time who suggested that this would prolong her stay in power.
She took advise, and stayed on the throne for 22 years. Eventually her son Tut-Moses the third destroyed most of her temples and murdered her and ditched her body in the desert, although she does have one of the most impressive tombs on the East bank pictured below.
Valley of the Kings
62 separate tomb discoveries where made here over time.
The ticket permits me to just 4. Rameses the II Rameses the IV and Tut-ankamun.
The tombs tunnel deep into the ground, those of Rameses the IV going down to 30 metres. It’s hot down there!
As I say, no pictures allowed.
This picture below gives some illustration to the colours/styles used in the tombs.
Wall painting – temple Hatsheput
Valley of the Nobles
KML 25.72753 32.60097
The valley of the Nobles is slightly separated from the valley of the Kings amidst the carved Quartz workshops that litter the area.
The nobles are slightly different in that they explain how the nobles aspired to a life of plenty, represented by field of crops, fruit and animals, plenty of water, papyrus and other symbols which might make a Egyptian happy.
The tombs are smaller, as might befit a noble. Not as large as a high priest like the one used to bury Tut-ankamun.
Again, no photos. But the guys at the gate try to scam money out of you for extra photos, on the sly.
I tipped one guy for a wafter, but when people ask you to break the rules, things have a tendency of coming back to you.
If you’re going to break the rules, you should do so on your on steam, not because someone invites you to, so I always leave ‘secret’ or ‘special’ deals for some other mug.
