The tomb of Ramesses IV, which is nearly 300 feet long, was intended to be larger, but construction was cut short by the early death of the pharaoh. Ramesses IV only ruled for six years (1155 to 1149 BC) and died at the age of 27.
The sarcophagus, made of red granite, is damaged and the mummy was removed, but it was one of the largest sarcophagi in the Valley of the Kings. The mummy of Ramesses IV is now on display at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
The tomb of King Tut, which received great notoriety when it was discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter, is the only ancient Egyptian tomb to have been discovered relatively intact. The tomb is smaller than most royal tombs and this is perhaps because King Tut died at age 18 after having been on the throne for only nine years and he had not yet had time to build a large tomb.
The tomb was prepared rather quickly after his death and only had paintings on the walls of the burial chamber. The tomb lacked the texts designed to help the deceased reach the afterlife. In addition, the 5,000 or so artifacts inside the tomb were packed very tightly because there was insufficient room to spread them out in the tomb.
The 617 foot long tomb of Ramesses III is decorated extensively with beautiful paintings throughout. The burial chamber has eight decorated pillars and had a red quartzite sarcophagus which is now in the Louvre.
The tomb was originally started by Setnakhte, but was abandoned when workers accidently broke through into an earlier tomb. Ramesses III had workers continue the tomb after changing the direction of the corridor.
This tomb was originally built by Ramesses V, and he was interred there following his death. Later, however, his uncle, Ramesses VI, reused the tomb as his own final resting place. Ramesses VI enlarged the tomb (it is 380 feet long) and added new decoration to the walls.
Noteworthy in the decor are paintings around the bottom of the wall showing enemies of the sun god that are kneeling and have been decapitated. (See the third photo) In the same illustration (look near the middle of the wall) there are executioners who have turned the decapitated enemies of the sun god upside down to make them as helpless as possible.
The tomb of Seti I, at 450 feet is one of the longest tombs in the Valley of the Kings. It is extensively decorated with images from ancient texts and a series of funerary texts designed to help Seti find his way to the afterlife.
Seti's intricately carved sarcophagus is currently in a museum in London and his mummy is in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
Alabaster, which in Egypt is a soft rock with the mineral calcite, was commonly used in the time of the pharaohs to create things like household items, and funerary objects such as canopic jars. The sarcophagus of Seti I, for example, was carved from a single piece of calcite alabaster.
Our visit to an alabaster shop was very interesting and best of all, the shop had air conditioning!
The Temple of Hatshepsut, which was built between 1479 and 1464 BC, was designed to offer prayer to the gods and to glorify the reign of Hatshepsut. It was designed by Senenmut who was a trusted advisor and possibly a clandestine lover of Hatshepsut.
The temple complex at Karnak is not a single temple, but rather a large complex of temples, gates, pillared halls, statues, and other assorted ancient structures. It was not built by one pharaoh, but rather built, modified, enlarged, and redecorated by many kings over the course of several centuries.
About thirty pharaohs contributed to the construction of this site which allowed it to grow in size and complexity over the years.
The temple complex has many unique and artistic structures. The Great hypostyle hall at Karnak has 134 sandstone columns with detailed carving and the tallest are 70 feet tall. In addition, there is a long walkway that is lined with 1,350 sphinx statues that was at one time used for religious processions.
Construction of the temple at Luxor was begun by Pharaoh Amenhotep III in 1390 BC. More work was done during the reigns of Tutankhamun, Horemheb, and finally Ramesses II. Ramesses added many statues of himself as well as decorative carvings showing his military victories.
