VALLEY OF THE QUEENS

Often seen as the poor relation to the Valley of the Kings, this is only partly true. A normal itinerary will give far less precedent to the Valley of the Queens for a very simple reason… the tombs are generally far less impressive. As the name suggests, this is where the wives of Egypt’s Pharaohs were buried, alongside children of the Pharaoh and a select group of nobles afforded the honor of burial there.

One of the main attractions in one of the tombs is the mummified remains of a small baby. Quite why this is such an attraction is beyond me, but it does get people talking.

The Valley of the Queens is home though, to what is widely regarded as one of the best preserved tombs in all of Egypt; that of Queen Nefertari. The colours of this tomb are breathtakingly vivid and the artwork barely dulled by the vast stretch of time this tomb has stood. Because of it’s astonishing state of preservation, it is only open to the public at very select times and these times can be rare indeed. You are advised to check with the Egyptian authorities if you are interested in viewing the tomb.

Be aware that the walk into the valley from the coach park is a long one and in the sun it can feel a lot longer!

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