The Valley of the Kings sits on the West Bank of the River Nile, opposite the ancient city of Thebes (now Luxor). It was the burial ground for the pharaohs of the New Kingdom (1500 – 1069 BC) and contains 63 rock-cut tombs. The most famous of which is that of the boy-king Tutankhamen, which was famously discovered by Howard Carter in 1922. Despite its name, the Valley of the Kings contains the tombs of favourite nobles, wives and children. The tombs are lavishly decorated in extravagant brightly-coloured images. 

A tour of the Valley of the Kings usually takes in 3-4 tombs, as well as Queen Hatshepsut’s Temple and the Tomb of Nefertari. Queen Hatshepsut was one of the most powerful female pharaohs in ancient Egypt. The temple is dedicated to the sun god Amon-Ra. The Tomb of Nefertari is one of the best-preserved tombs and has the most striking hieroglyphs of any Egyptian burial site. Nefertari was the five wives of Ramses II. The beauty of the tomb he built for Nefertari is akin to that with Shah Jahan built for Mumtaz Mahal, the iconic Taj Mahal. The tomb was raided before much of the contents could be recovered. Only her mummified knees remained.