# Valley of the Kings Guide: History, Tickets & What to See Source: https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/valley-of-the-kings Language: en # Valley of the Kings وادي الملوك A 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](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/valley-of-the-kings/visit) In one paragraph The tombs vary in length, depth and plan. Earlier royal examples often change direction; many later tombs follow straighter axes. Side chambers, unfinished sections and changes of design are part of the story. Time needed: 2–3 hours · Best time of day: As early as you can manage — the valley traps heat and holds it all day [Why Pharaohs Stopped Building Pyramids](https://luxor101.com/journal/why-pharaohs-stopped-building-pyramids) **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 2026-09-19 · [Valley Of The Kings — published visitor information](https://egymonuments.com/details/ValleyOfKings) [Valley Of The Kings — ticket categories](https://egymonuments.com/book-date/13) **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. FIG. 1 — VALLEY OF THE KINGS · LANDSCAPE & DETAIL ## 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. LANDSCAPE & DETAIL · SCHEMATIC 1\. The peak that is shaped like a pyramid Select a number to explore a detail here. 1. [The peak that is shaped like a pyramid](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/valley-of-the-kings#lookfor-vok-al-qurn-peak) 2. [Walls where the work stopped mid-scene](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/valley-of-the-kings#lookfor-vok-unfinished-walls) 3. [These walls carry books, not biographies](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/valley-of-the-kings#lookfor-vok-books-not-biographies) 4. [Graffiti left by ancient visitors](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/valley-of-the-kings#lookfor-vok-ancient-graffiti) The valley & al-Qurn 1\. The peak that is shaped like a pyramid - AL-QURN Select a number to explore a detail here. 1. [The peak that is shaped like a pyramid](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/valley-of-the-kings#lookfor-vok-al-qurn-peak) An unfinished wall 2\. Walls where the work stopped mid-scene Select a number to explore a detail here. 1. [Walls where the work stopped mid-scene](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/valley-of-the-kings#lookfor-vok-unfinished-walls) Images of the afterlife 3\. These walls carry books, not biographies Select a number to explore a detail here. 1. [These walls carry books, not biographies](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/valley-of-the-kings#lookfor-vok-books-not-biographies) Ancient visitors 4\. Graffiti left by ancient visitors Select a number to explore a detail here. 1. [Graffiti left by ancient visitors](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/valley-of-the-kings#lookfor-vok-ancient-graffiti) Text alternative for this figure Beneath the mountain, another world. | 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. Look for this ## 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. 1 ### The peak that is shaped like a pyramid [Back to the drawing](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/valley-of-the-kings#site-drawing) Look 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. Interpretation Fact — 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. 2 ### Walls where the work stopped mid-scene [Back to the drawing](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/valley-of-the-kings#site-drawing) In 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. 3 ### These walls carry books, not biographies [Back to the drawing](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/valley-of-the-kings#site-drawing) The 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. 4 ### Graffiti left by ancient visitors [Back to the drawing](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/valley-of-the-kings#site-drawing) The 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. FIG. 2 — Who added what ## Who built and changed this place? Explore the rulers connected with this site and the work they left here. [18th Dynasty **Thutmose III** c.1479–1425 BCE Seventeen campaigns, and an empire that outlasted him by two hundred years. ](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/pharaohs/thutmose-iii) [18th Dynasty **Tutankhamun** c.1336–1327 BCE A short reign, a remarkable burial and an extraordinary legacy for the study of ancient Egypt. ](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/pharaohs/tutankhamun) [18th Dynasty **Ay** c.1327–1323 BCE The courtier who outlived two kings and then wore the crown himself, briefly. ](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/pharaohs/ay) [18th Dynasty **Horemheb** c.1323–1295 BCE The general who took the throne and set about deleting the four reigns before him. ](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/pharaohs/horemheb) [19th Dynasty **Seti I** c.1294–1279 BCE A ruler whose finely worked reliefs reward a close look at Egyptian carving. ](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/pharaohs/seti-i) [19th Dynasty **Ramesses II** c.1279–1213 BCE Sixty-six years on the throne, and his name cut into everything within reach. ](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/pharaohs/ramesses-ii) [20th Dynasty **Ramesses III** c.1184–1153 BCE The king behind Medinet Habu, whose reign left records of both military ambition and economic strain. ](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/pharaohs/ramesses-iii) The rulers appear in chronological order. Select a name to explore their reign and the monuments connected with it. How to visit ## Plan your visit. ### Tickets Published prices in Egyptian pounds per person. Online sources checked 2026-09-19. **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. Online sources checked 2026-09-19 · [Valley Of The Kings — published visitor information](https://egymonuments.com/details/ValleyOfKings) [Valley Of The Kings — ticket categories](https://egymonuments.com/book-date/13) ### 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 2026-09-19 · [Valley Of The Kings — published visitor information](https://egymonuments.com/details/ValleyOfKings) [Valley Of The Kings — ticket categories](https://egymonuments.com/book-date/13) ### 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. [Choosing a guide in Luxor](https://luxor101.com/plan/do-you-need-a-guide) Access ## 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. [How we assess accessibility](https://luxor101.com/plan/accessibility) **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. After the reading ## 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. [Do you need a guide in Luxor?](https://luxor101.com/plan/do-you-need-a-guide) Continue reading ## Explore the connections 1–1 / 8 [Temple · West bank ### Temple of Hatshepsut Terraces set straight into the cliff at Deir el-Bahari — and a reign that was later chiselled off its own walls. ](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/temple-of-hatshepsut)[Village · West bank ### Deir el-Medina The village of the men who cut the royal tombs. It is the site that makes all the others feel human. ](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/deir-el-medina)[Necropolis · West bank ### Valley of the Queens A royal cemetery whose tombs vary greatly in decoration and access. Check which are open before deciding how it fits your day. ](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/valley-of-the-queens)[Temple · West bank ### Medinet Habu Colour survives here wherever the roof did — on a temple built by a king fighting to hold Egypt together. ](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/medinet-habu)[Necropolis · West bank ### Tombs of the Nobles Private tombs across the Theban hills, where images of work, family and offerings express the status and afterlife hopes of officials and their households. ](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/tombs-of-the-nobles)[God ### Ra The sun — and the night journey that every royal tomb in the valley is a map of. ](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/gods/ra)[God ### Osiris Ruler of the dead, associated with restoration and renewal. ](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/gods/osiris)[God ### Anubis The black jackal of the cemetery, who does the embalming and guards the burial. ](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/gods/anubis) Sources & further reading 9 Tier 1 [Sarcophagus of Wereshnefer, 14.7.1a, b — Amduat and Litany of Re](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/549534) The Metropolitan Museum of Art Online source checked 2026-09-19 Tier 1 Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities — monument and site records Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Egypt) Tier 1 [Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis — World Heritage List inscription and documentation](https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/87/) UNESCO World Heritage Centre Online source checked 2026-09-19 Tier 1 Theban Mapping Project — Atlas of the Theban Necropolis Theban Mapping Project Tier 2 The Complete Valley of the Kings, Nicholas Reeves and Richard H. Wilkinson Thames & Hudson Tier 2 The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt, edited by Ian Shaw Oxford University Press Tier 2 The Illustrated Guide to Luxor: Tombs, Temples and Museums, Kent R. Weeks American University in Cairo Press Tier 1 [Valley Of The Kings — published visitor information](https://egymonuments.com/details/ValleyOfKings) Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities — official ticket service Official page indexed · checked 2026-09-19 Tier 1 [Valley Of The Kings — ticket categories](https://egymonuments.com/book-date/13) Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities — official ticket service Official page indexed · checked 2026-09-19 Source review is incomplete. Consultation dates are shown only for checked references. These references provide the historical background for the page. [Sources and review status](mailto:corrections@egyptmore.com?subject=Luxor101%20correction)