Valley of the Kings
وادي الملوكA dry desert valley behind the Theban cliffs where, for about five hundred years, the kings of Egypt were buried in tombs cut into the rock instead of under pyramids.
The valley shows how New Kingdom kings organised burial and commemoration in different places. The tombs protected the burial and carried texts and images for the afterlife; temples nearer the cultivation sustained royal cults (the worship and rituals devoted to a deity or royal figure) and also honoured the gods.
Published sources · confirm changing details before travel
Already at the site?Keep the visit sequence and details to look for close to hand.
Open the field guide- Type
- Necropolis
- Bank
- West bank
- Period
- New Kingdom
- Principal deity
- Ra
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Best time of day
- As early as you can manage — the valley traps heat and holds it all day
- Heat exposure
- High · Expect exposed sections. Continuous shade or a seated rest area has not been verified; plan a separate break.
- Walking
- Moderate · Add the approach between tombs to each tomb’s descent and uphill return. The chosen tombs determine the effort; no measured accessible circuit is recorded.
- Guide
- Recommended
- Ticket
- 750 EGP · foreign adult, per person
- Photography
- The official ticket page lists mobile-phone photography as free. Confirm room-specific restrictions and rules for other equipment at the site.Online sources checked · Valley Of The Kings — published visitor informationValley Of The Kings — ticket categories
- Current access
- Current access not verified
Dashed boxes mark information we have not verified. Check essential prices, hours and access arrangements with the official venue before travelling.
Beneath the mountain, another world.
A landscape study beneath al-Qurn, with representative tomb-wall details. Doorways do not locate individual tombs; the lower panels explain what to notice inside.
Select a number to explore a detail here.
The valley & al-Qurn
- AL-QURN
Select a number to explore a detail here.
Images of the afterlife
Select a number to explore a detail here.
Text alternative for this figure
| Look for this | Where |
|---|---|
| 1. The peak that is shaped like a pyramid | Look up and south-west from the valley floor, above the tomb entrances |
| 2. Walls where the work stopped mid-scene | In several tombs, in the chambers nearest the burial chamber |
| 3. These walls carry books, not biographies | The corridor walls of any decorated royal tomb |
| 4. Graffiti left by ancient visitors | The entrance corridors of the tombs that stood open in antiquity — most of all KV9 |
A landscape study beneath al-Qurn, with representative tomb-wall details. Doorways do not locate individual tombs; the lower panels explain what to notice inside.
Details worth stopping for.
Numbers match the plan above. Each entry says where it is, what you will actually see, and how confident anyone can be about what it means.
- 1
The peak that is shaped like a pyramid
Back to the drawingLook up and south-west from the valley floor, above the tomb entrances
Al-Qurn, “the horn”: a natural limestone peak that rises over the valley in a near-perfect pyramid, and is visible from almost everywhere in it.
InterpretationFact — the peak and its shape, and that it dominates the valley. Interpretation — that the shape influenced the choice of burial ground.
The kings gave up building pyramids and then had themselves buried underneath one that was already there. Whether that was the reason for choosing this valley cannot be shown, but it is the first thing anyone standing here notices.
- 2
Walls where the work stopped mid-scene
Back to the drawingIn several tombs, in the chambers nearest the burial chamber
Look for a wall carrying red grid lines and a draughtsman’s outline with no colour in it, or smooth plaster laid ready and never carved. Sometimes the finished decoration and the bare outline meet in the middle of the same figure.
Unfinished surfaces can reveal stages of cutting, plastering, drawing and carving. A king’s death could limit the time available, but the reason a particular section was left unfinished needs evidence specific to that tomb.
- 3
These walls carry books, not biographies
Back to the drawingThe corridor walls of any decorated royal tomb
Registers of dense text with small figures worked into them — serpents, barques (a ceremonial boat carrying a sacred image), gateways, ram-headed and mummiform forms of the sun — and almost nothing of banquets, hunting, farming or family.
Funerary compositions connect the king with divine protection and renewal. Their selection differs between tombs, and private tombs also use religious imagery alongside scenes of work and family.
- 4
Graffiti left by ancient visitors
Back to the drawingThe entrance corridors of the tombs that stood open in antiquity — most of all KV9
Names, dates and short lines scratched into the plaster and the stone in Greek, Latin and Coptic, sometimes in careful lettering, sometimes not.
Some tombs were known and entered in antiquity; others were rediscovered through excavation. Ancient graffiti record particular visits, not necessarily uninterrupted access.
Look closely, photograph only where permitted, and keep hands and bags clear of ancient surfaces. Follow barriers and conservation instructions.
Who built and changed this place?
Explore the rulers connected with this site and the work they left here.
The rulers appear in chronological order. Select a name to explore their reign and the monuments connected with it.
Plan your visit.
Tickets
Published prices in Egyptian pounds per person. Online sources checked .
- Foreign adult / student
- 750 / 375 EGP
- Egyptian adult / student
- 60 / 30 EGP
Tutankhamun (KV62), separate ticket
- Foreign adult / student
- 700 / 350 EGP
- Egyptian adult / student
- 40 / 20 EGP
Ramesses V/VI (KV9), separate ticket
- Foreign adult / student
- 220 / 110 EGP
- Egyptian adult / student
- 30 / 10 EGP
Seti I (KV17), separate ticket
- Foreign adult / student
- 2000 / 2000 EGP
- Egyptian adult / student
- 500 / 250 EGP
Recheck the official seller for your visit date, concession eligibility and any additional charges. A listed ticket does not establish which interiors are open today.
Opening hours & timing
- Daily hours
- Opens 06:00; last entry 17:00 in summer, 16:00 in winter and Ramadan.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Best time of day
- As early as you can manage — the valley traps heat and holds it all day
Heat & shade
- Heat exposure
- High
- Shade
- Low
- Walking
- Moderate
- Water on site
- not verified
Expect exposed sections. Continuous shade or a seated rest area has not been verified; plan a separate break.
Photography
- Photography
- The official ticket page lists mobile-phone photography as free. Confirm room-specific restrictions and rules for other equipment at the site.Online sources checked · Valley Of The Kings — published visitor informationValley Of The Kings — ticket categories
Getting there
On the west bank, inland from the cultivation and past the Colossi of Memnon, in a valley behind the cliffs. From the east bank it is the ferry and then a taxi, or a bridge crossing by road if you are already in a car. It is not somewhere to walk to: the last stretch is an exposed desert road with no shade. Most visitors combine it with Deir el-Bahari, which is on the other side of the same ridge.
- Typical taxi fare
- not verified
Do you need a guide?
Agree on an introduction to the valley and your chosen tombs before entering. Confirm where guiding is permitted and what is included.
Check the access details you need.
Access depends on the whole route: surfaces, thresholds, distance, shade and facilities. We describe these separately, but have not completed an on-site access audit. Confirm the details you need before visiting.
- Ground surface
- The valley floor is compacted stone and grit, broadly level but loose and dusty in places; inside a tomb the floor is a ramp, a stair, or a modern boarded walkway over both
- Stairs
- Every tomb is entered by a descent, and there is no other way out — a flight of steps, a long ramp, or both. The longer tombs run well over a hundred metres into the rock and drop steeply as they go
- Shade
- Expect exposed sections. Continuous shade or a seated rest area has not been verified; plan a separate break.
- Vehicle drop-off
- Current drop-off and any internal transport are unverified. Confirm the location and distance to the entrance before arranging your ride.
- Sensory conditions
- A visit moves between outdoor paths and enclosed tomb interiors. Ask about lighting and visitor flow inside each chosen tomb; indoor conditions are unverified.
- Claustrophobia
- Tomb interiors can be confined, with stairs or narrow passages and a return along the entry route. Conditions differ by tomb; assess the exact route before entering.
- Distance on foot
- Add the approach between tombs to each tomb’s descent and uphill return. The chosen tombs determine the effort; no measured accessible circuit is recorded.
Confirm before visiting: Step-free entry · Wheelchair route · Seating · Accessible toilet.
Our access descriptions are planning guidance, not an on-site audit. Confirm the route and facilities you need before visiting. Photographs alone cannot establish accessibility.
Would a licensed guide help your visit?
We do not arrange guides or take booking fees. Our guide explains where local knowledge and historical context can add to a visit, and what to ask before hiring someone.
Sources & further reading9
Source review is incomplete. Consultation dates are shown only for checked references.
These references provide the historical background for the page.