The Valley of the Kings, also known as the “Valley of Biban of the Kings,” is a valley in Egypt that was used over a period of 500 years during the period between the sixteenth and eleventh centuries BC to construct tombs for the pharaohs and nobles of the New Kingdom extending during the eras of the Eighteenth Dynasty until the Twentieth Dynasty in Egypt. The ancient, valley is located on the west bank of the Nile River, facing Thebes (currently Luxor), in the heart of the ancient funerary city of Thebes. The Valley of the Kings is divided into two valleys: The Eastern Valley (where most of the royal tombs are located) and the Western Valley.
With the discovery of the last burial chamber in 2006, known as (Cemetery 63), in addition to the discovery of two other entrances to the same chamber during 2008, the number of graves discovered so far has reached 63 graves of varying sizes, ranging from a small hole in the ground to a complex grave containing More than 120 burial chambers inside. All of these tombs were used to bury the kings and princes of the New Kingdom in ancient Egypt, in addition to some nobles and those who were related to the ruling family at that time. The royal tombs are distinguished by containing drawings and inscriptions from ancient Egyptian mythology that illustrate the religious beliefs and memorial ceremonies of that time. All the discovered graves were opened and looted in ancient times, and despite this, they remain conclusive evidence of the power and prosperity of the kings of that time.
This area has been a center for scout excavations to study archaeology and Egyptology since the end of the eighteenth century, as its tombs arouse the interest of scholars to expand such studies and archaeological excavations. The valley became famous in the modern era after the discovery of the entire tomb of Tutankhamun and the rumors surrounding it regarding the curse of the Pharaohs. The valley remained famous for the archaeological excavations spread throughout it until it was certified as a World Heritage Site in 1979, in addition to the entire funerary city of Thebes. Exploration, excavation and restoration operations are still ongoing in the Valley of the Kings, and a tourist center has recently been opened there.
Geology
The rock formation of the valley.
The soil of the area in which the Valley of the Kings is located consists of dense layers of limestone and other sedimentary rocks (composing the slopes spreading in the valley and the nearby Deir el-Bahri temple area), in addition to thin layers of marl clay. These sedimentary rocks date back to more than 35 to 56 million years ago, where It was deposited in this region at a time when the Mediterranean Sea occupied a vast area much larger than the one it occupies now. The valley was formed during the Pleistocene era (or the Pleistocene era) through continuous rainfall on this spot, which led to the excavation of water courses that connected with each other over time, forming the valley. Present. Studies indicate that this part of Egyptian territory is exposed to continuous, minimal rainfall throughout the year. The region is also usually exposed to sudden floods, leaving impurities attached to open graves.
The rocks in the Valley of the Kings are characterized by their varying nature, from fine, smooth rocks to large, hard pieces of rock. The latter type is not suitable for building or construction, in addition to the shale, whose layers cover various areas of the valley, which has increased the difficulty of building tombs or preserving bodies. Because the surrounding environment is not suitable, as the shale expands in the presence of water, which leads to the rocks surrounding it spreading apart, creating cracks in the walls and floor of the tombs, which in turn leads to water leaking into the tomb, causing great damage to both the building itself and the mummy preserved inside it. It is believed that the quality of the rocks The used material is the reason for the changes in the shape and size of some of the discovered graves.
Egyptian builders took advantage of the geological differences in the valley, as some tombs were built by directly digging into the cracks between the limestone layers, while others were built behind gravel slopes and rubble of rockslides, or on the edges of rocky outcroppings resulting from ancient flood channels.
To understand the difficulty of constructing these tombs, it is worth looking at the tombs of Ramesses III and his father, Setnect, where Setnect began excavating (cemetery 11), but work on it stopped after the excavation work led to the breach of the tomb of Amun-mesu, and then Setnect had no choice but to rape him. (Tomb 14) of Queen Tusret. When Ramesses III assumed power, he completed the tomb that his father had previously begun to dig. As for the tomb of Ramesses II, it was built in the style of an arched axis, which is the first method of building royal tombs. The reason for this is due to the quality of the rocks used in constructing the tomb, which are mostly rocks resulting from the rock collapse that occurred in the city of Esna.