At last Mahamod got us into some tombs, a welcome change after the temples. The Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens is probably one of the most, if not the most, well known of all the Egyptian sites.

The road to the tombs took us past the great Colossi of Memnon and Amenhotep III standing all out in the open among former agricultural land, they are bit worse for wear but still an impressive sight in the early morning. They are all that remain of a temple complex destroyed by an earthquake, the site was then used as a quarry by later kings.

Nearby was the launch site for the balloon rides, getting air born pre sun rise.

Finally, making it into the Valley we then spent the morning looking through a number of tombs.

The interesting thing about these tombs is that they are built under a mountain, not a pyramid. Up on the Giza plateau near Cairo the tombs of the Old Kingdom were built inside or under the great pyramids.

However, down in Thebes (Luxor) during the later Middle Kingdom period there were no pyramids. Pyramids connected the sky to the earth. The Giza Plateau was flat, hence the need for the pyramids. In the Valley of the Kings the tombs are under a mountain, shaped not unlike a pyramid. So, no need for a pyramid!

The tombs are entered through lengthy corridors, generally there are a number of sections as the corridor slopes down past various rooms until reaching the burial chamber. Plenty of steps. Each section marks various processional stages of the King’s journey to the after life. The walls are covered with carvings, paintings and hieroglyphs telling the story.

Here are a few photos from some of the tombs.

Ramesses IV

Seti I

Ramesses V/VI

Ramesses IX

Amen-Khopshef son of Ramesses III

Unless you have a good understanding of the various gods, follow the imagery and can work out some of the hieroglyphics it is all a bit overwhelming. But also fascinating to look up and wonder!

Can’t resist slipping in here photos of mummified crocodiles, one of the gods had the head of a crocodile, from the museum in Kom Ombo. Memorable!

We have now finished the journey up the Nile to Aswan and have decamped to the Movenpick Hotel on Elephantine Island, away from the hustle and bustle of the city.