Middle East - Anthony Ham [124]
Valley of the Kings
Once called the Gates of the Kings and the Place of Truth, this famous royal necropolis (Map; 231 1662; adult/student E£70/35; 6am-4pm Oct-May, 6am-5pm Jun-Sep) is dominated by the barren Al-Qurn (Horn) mountain. The tombs were designed to resemble the underworld; a long, inclined, rock-hewn corridor descends into either an antechamber or a series of halls, and ends in a burial chamber. Over 60 tombs have been excavated here, but not all belong to pharaohs. Only a few of the tombs are open to the public at any one time, though the most impressive tombs of Tuthmosis III, Amenhotep II and Horemheb were open at the time of research. Other tombs open to visitors include Ramses VII, Ramses IV, Ramses IX, Ramses II, Merneptah, Ramses V/VI, Ramses III, Siptah, Queen Tawosret/Sethnakht, Seti II, Ramses I, Seti I, Montuhirkopshef and Tuthmosis IV.
The tomb of Tutankhamun was found in 1922 by Howard Carter and is far from the most interesting. It requires an extra ticket (adult/student E£80/40) bought at the second ticket box when you enter the site, where the ludicrous toy train (E£1) stops. It’s only worth paying the exorbitant entry fee if you’ve been to Cairo’s Egyptian Museum and wish to see where this extraordinary cache was found.
Hiking across the Theban Hills from the Valley of the Kings to Deir al-Bahri is spectacular, and highly recommended if you have the energy, decent hiking shoes and an adequate supply of water. To start, ascend the steep cliff opposite the tomb of Seti I. Ask a guard to point you in the right direction as there’s no signage. When you start climbing, souvenir vendors will offer to guide you to the ridge in return for a tip; be prepared for them to hawk their bits and pieces of tourist tat all the way. Once on the ridge, follow the path to the left and continue left when you come to a fork in the path. Follow the path around the ridge, passing a police post on your distant left, until you eventually see Deir al-Bahri down the sheer cliff to your right. Continue along the ridge, ignoring the steep trail that plunges down the cliff face, and almost complete a circle to descend in front of the ticket office to Hatshepsut’s magnificent temple. The walk takes 50 minutes and is extremely steep in parts.
Deir al-Bahri (Funerary Temple of Hatshepsut)
Rising out of the desert plain in a series of terraces, the Funerary Temple of Hatshepsut (Map; adult/student E£25/15; 6am-4.30pm Oct-May, 6am-5pm Jun-Sep) merges with the sheer limestone cliffs of the eastern face of the Theban mountain. It was desecrated and vandalised by her bitter successor, Tuthmosis III, but retains much of its original magnificence, including some fascinating reliefs.
Assasif Tombs
Three of these 18th-dynasty tombs (Map) are open to the public – those of Pabasa, Kheruef and Ankhhor. Like the Tombs of the Nobles further south, the artwork concentrates on events from everyday life, such as fishing and hunting.
Tombs of the Nobles
There are at least 12 tombs (Map) in this group worth visiting; the most colourful are those of Ramose & Userhet, Rekhmire and Nakht. Tickets are sold for groups of two or three tombs.
Dra Abu’l Naga
Though 114 tombs of nobles and rulers were found here, most were plundered long ago. Two tombs that remain intact and are worth visiting include those of Roy and Shuroy.
Ramesseum
Ramses II was pretty busy during his lifetime building monuments to his greatness, and his funerary temple (Map) was to be the masterpiece. Sadly, it lies mostly in ruins.
Deir al-Medina
This small Ptolemaic temple (Map), dedicated to the goddesses Hathor and Maat, was later occupied by Christian monks – hence its name, literally ‘the monastery of the city’.
Valley of the Queens
The 75-odd tombs (Map; adult/student E£25/15; 6am-4.30pm Oct-May, 6am-5pm Jun-Sep) in this valley belong to queens and other royal family members from the 19th and 20th dynasties. Only three – the tombs of Titi, Amunherkhepshuf and Khaemwaset – are currently