Valley of the Kings facts for kids

Location of the valley in the Theban Hills, west of the Nile, October 1988 (red arrow shows location)

The Valley of the Kings (Arabic: وادي الملوك Wādī al Mulūk) is a valley in Egypt. From the 16th to 11th centuries BC, tombs were built there for the Pharaohs and powerful nobles.

The valley is on the west bank of the Nile across from Luxor. Some of the people buried there are:

• Ramesses II
• Thutmose I
• Tutankhamun

The valley is one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world. In 1979 it became a World Heritage Site, with the rest of the Theban Necropolis. Exploration, excavation and conservation continues in the valley, and a new tourist centre has recently been opened.

Panorama of the valley, looking north

Geology and climate

Stratigraphy of the valley

There is little year-round rain in this part of Egypt, but there are rare flash floods that hit the valley. These tons of debris into the open tombs.

Images for kids

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  View of the central East Valley, showing area around KV62

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  Entrance to a royal tomb, drawn in 1821

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  Entrance to Horemheb's tomb, soon after its discovery in 1908

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  Detail of decoration from KV2

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  Pillar in Seti I's tomb

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  Typical "Bent axis" early Eighteenth Dynasty tomb

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  Typical "Jogged axis" post-Amarna tomb

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  Typical "Straight axis" Nineteenth/Twentieth Dynasty tomb

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  Merenptah's stone sarcophagus in KV8

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  Corridor descending to the tomb of Twosret and Setnakhte

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  Tomb of Ramesses III, KV11

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  Tomb of Ramesses IX, KV6

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  KV62 found undisturbed in 1922