Valley of The Kings

Location	Across the Nile from Thebes - West bank Upper Egypt - 800 km south of the Mediterranean
Nome	The sceptre - the 4th nome of Upper Egypt
Type of Settlement	The Theban necropolis, which host the Tombs of the New Kingdom
Local deity	The holy triad of Amun, Mut and Khonsu
Contemporary name	Wadi Biban el-Muluk
Historical Development	This location was chosen as the burial place the New Kingdom. The Valley was used for primary burials from 1539 BC to 1075 BC, and contains 63 tombs, The Pharaohs of this period, instead of the traditional building of pyramids and mastabas as burial chambers, now chose to be buried in rock-cut tombs Queens, princes and nobility were buried in the nearby Valley of The Queens The valley is surrounded by steep cliffs, which made it easily guarded The local limestone, cut millions of years ago by torrential rains to form the Valley, is of good quality. The tombs were constructed and decorated by the workers of the village of Deir el-Medina, situated between this valley and the Valley of the Queens By the 21st Dynasty, many tombs were looted and robbed, and the priests reburied the Pharaohs of the 18th, 19th and 20th Dynasties in the Deir El Bahri Cache Tombs of are numbered in the order of discovery from Ramses VII tomb KV1, to KV63 discovered in 2005. The tombs of Tutankhamen Kv62 and of Ramses II sons, are among the most splendid in the world, and the site has been the scene of much important archaeological work.
Architecture	Burial chambers contained all the belongings of the Pharaoh, necessary for his After Life, and were dominated by the Pharaoh's sarcophagus The tombs plan had a long inclined rock-cut corridor, descending through one or more halls, to the burial chamber. 1- In the earlier tombs of the 18th dynasty (such as KV43 - Thutmose IV), the corridors turn through 90 degrees at least once and had cartouche-shaped burial chambers. This layout is known as 'Bent Axis'. After the burial the upper corridors were filled with rubble, and the entrance to the tomb hidden. 2- In later tombs of the late 18th dynasty and 19th dynasty (such as KV57 -Horemheb) the layout straightened, with an intermediate 'Jogged Axis' 3- The late 19th and 20th Dynasty tombs (such as KV6 - Ramses IX) had 'Straight Axis', the slope also lessened, and almost disappeared in the late 20th Dynasty Most tombs had a 'well', this well originated as an actual barrier intended to stop flood waters entering the lower parts of the tombs, it later developed a 'magical' purpose as a symbolical shaft.