Places › Luxor (ancient Thebes)
Valley of the Queens
Site, Luxor (ancient Thebes) · also called Ta-set-neferu, Biban el-Harim, QV, Wadi el-Malikat
The Valley of the Queens holds painted tombs of New Kingdom queens and princes, with some of the brightest hieroglyphs in Egypt, above all in the tomb of Nefertari (QV66).
The Egyptians called the valley Ta-set-neferu, often translated 'place of beauty'. More than 90 tombs are known. The best decorated date from the 19th and 20th Dynasties (c. 1290–1100 BC), when wives and young sons of the Ramesside kings were buried here.
These tombs are smaller than the kings'. Their texts come mostly from the Book of the Dead. Queens stand before the gods alone, while princes are led by their father, the king, to meet them. Only a few tombs are open at once, in rotation. Nefertari's needs a separate ticket, and visits are short to protect the paint.
At Valley of the Queens
What to see and read
Tomb of Nefertari (QV66)
Ramesses II's great royal wife, painted on plaster with Book of the Dead texts.
Tomb of Amenherkhepeshef (QV55)
If it is open when you visit: a son of Ramesses III led by his father before the gods, in bright blue and yellow.
Tomb of Khaemwaset (QV44)
If it is open when you visit: another son of Ramesses III, in similar scenes.
Tomb of Queen Titi (QV52)
If it is open when you visit: a 20th Dynasty queen with her names in cartouches.
Names you can find here
Signs to look for
- Cartouche V10 Queens also wrote their names in cartouches, by the door and on the walls.
- Vulture G14mwt The vulture appears in queens' crowns and in names with the goddess Mut.
- Egg H8 The egg ends the names of goddesses and of some queens.
- Ankh S34ꜥnḫ The ankh is held out by gods to the queen or prince in almost every scene.
Reading the hieroglyphs here
- Ask at the gate which tombs are open before you plan your visit.
- Painted plaster on a white ground reads well with the Hiero Lens camera. Never use flash.
- In the princes' tombs, look for two cartouches: the father's name beside the son's.
Point your camera at a wall Hiero Lens boxes the signs and names them, on your phone; nothing is uploaded. On worn stone, trace a sign over the photo.
Questions
Is the tomb of Nefertari worth the extra ticket?
For a reader of hieroglyphs, yes. It has some of the best preserved painted texts anywhere, even if the visit is brief.
Who is buried in the Valley of the Queens?
Queens, princes and princesses of the New Kingdom, mostly of the 19th and 20th Dynasties. Some earlier tombs belonged to officials. The valley was used again for burials in later periods.
Where it is
Open in OpenStreetMap · Written from published sources and not yet checked on site by our team: displays and open tombs change.