History Embalmed

Valley of the Queens

The Valley of the Queens is where many of the wives and family members, including Princes and Princesses, of famous Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt were buried. Ravaged by tomb robbers the most famous of all the tombs in the Valley of the Queens was that of Nefertari.

The Valley of the Queens is a necropolis which is defined as a large cemetery or burial place near the sites of the centers of ancient civilizations. The necropolis is located near the Ancient Egyptian city of Thebes (now modern-day Luxor).

Location of the Valley of the Queens

The Valley of the Queens is located near Luxor which, in Ancient Egypt, was called Thebes.

Thebes was the capital of the Ancient Egyptian dynasties during the period of the New Kingdom. Thebes stood on the eastern bank of the River Nile and was the centre of worship for the god Amun.

Opposite Thebes, on the Western bank of the Nile, is where the Valley of the Queens is located near to the famous Valley of the Kings. The Valley of the Queens is set in a remote southernmost area of the Theban necropolis.

When were tombs first built in the Valley of the Queens?
Tombs for royalty and nobles were built in the Valley of the Queens during the period of the New Kingdom (1570 BC - 1070 BC) and served as burial places for the wives and family members, including Princes and Princesses, of famous Pharaohs during the 18th - 20th Egyptian Dynasties, a period of 500 years.

Number of Tombs in the Valley of the Queens
There are over 100 tombs and funerary wells which have been discovered in the Valley of the Queens. This area was also used as a burial place for the Ptolemaic and Greco-Roman period of Egyptian history. The most famous tomb in the Valley of the Queens belongs to Queen Nefertari, the beautiful wife of Ramses the Great. Nefertari died when she was 47 years old  and her tomb is regarded as one of the most beautiful in Egypt - QV no.66.

Legend used for Tombs in the Valley of the Queens
John Gardiner Wilkinson (1797–1875)  assigned the numeration system for the Egyptian tombs. Names of all tombs are numbered and a legend indicates their location as follows:

  • KV (e.g. KV no.35) refers to the King Valley
  • QV (e.g. QV no.66) refers to the tomb of Nerfertari in the Queen Valley
  • WV (e.g. WV no.23) refers to the tomb of the Pharaoh Ay in the Western Valley
  • TT (e.g. TT no.55) refers to the tomb of Ramose designated to the category of Theban Tomb
    • There are at least 415 catalogued tombs, designated TT for Theban Tomb which are burial places of nobles and important court officials

Names of the tombs in Valley of the Queens
The names of the most famous tombs in the Valley of the Queens are as follows:

  • QV30 – Nebiri, Head of the Stables
  • QV33 – Princess Tanedjmet
  • QV38 – Queen Sitre, wife of Ramses I
  • QV42 – Pa-ra-her-unemef, son of Ramses III
  • QV43 – Seth-her-khopsef, son of Ramses III
  • QV44 – Khaemwaset, son of Ramses III
  • QV46 – Imhotep, vizier under Thutmose I
  • QV47 – Princess Ahmose, daughter of Tao II the Brave and Sitdjehuti
  • QV51 – Queen Isis-ta-Habadjilat, wife of Ramses III
  • QV52 – Queen Tyti
  • QV53 – Prince Ramses, son of Ramses III
  • QV55 – Prince Amun-her-khepsef, son of Ramses III
  • QV60 – Queen Nebettawy, daughter of Ramses II
  • QV66 – Queen Nefertari, wife of Ramses II
  • QV68 – Queen Meritamun, daughter of Ramses II and Nefertari
  • QV71 – Queen Bintanath, daughter of Ramses II and Isetnofret
  • QV72 – Neferhat / Baki
  • QV74 – (Dua)Tentopet
  • QV75 – Henutmire, daughter or sister of Ramses II

Valley of the Queens
Each section of the Valley of the Queens addresses all topics and provides interesting facts and information about the Golden Age of Pharaohs and of Egypt. The Sitemap provides full details of all of the information and facts provided about the fascinating subject of the Pharaoh - Tutankhamun and the Valley of the Queens!

Egyptian Tombs

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