Valley of the Kings part1

Valley of the Kings and is also known as the "Valley of Pipan kings", is a valley in Egypt used over 500 years during the period between the sixteenth and atheist century BC to the construction of tombs for pharaohs and nobles of the modern state extended through the eras of dynastic eighth century until the Twentieth Dynasty in ancient Egypt, and is located Valley on the West Bank of the Nile River in the face of Thebes (now Luxor) heart of the ancient city of Thebes funeral. The Valley of the Kings is divided to اديين; Valley East (where most of the royal tombs) and the West Valley.

The discovery of the burial chamber last in 2006 (known as the tomb of 63) in addition to the discovery of two entrances others for the same room during the year 2008, the number of graves discovered so far to 63 cemetery varying sizes ranging from a small hole in the ground and even cemetery complex composition containing more than 120 burial chamber inside. All these graves were used to bury the kings and princes of the modern state in ancient Egypt in addition to some of the nobility and was connected to the royal family at the time. Featuring royal tombs feature a graphics and inscriptions of ancient Egyptian mythology describes the religious beliefs and ceremony التأبينية in that time. All the graves have been discovered opened and looted in antiquity and although it remained compelling evidence of the strength and prosperity of the kings of that time.

This area is the center of excavations scouting for the study of archeology and Egyptology since the end of the eighteenth century, it raises interesting cemeteries learners to expand in such studies and archaeological excavations. The best known of the valley in the modern era after the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun full and around the House of hearsay about the Curse of the Pharaohs, The valley Msthra remained Baltnguibat monuments scattered throughout the hotel until it was adopted as a World Heritage site in 1979, in addition to the entire city of Thebes funeral. And still the detection and exploration operations and restoration underway in the Valley of the Kings until now, it has been recently opened a tourist center there.

Geology

Rock formation of the valley.

Consists soil region actually the Valley of the Kings layers of dense limestone and sedimentary rocks Other (composed cliffs scattered valley and the Temple of Deir el-Bahari nearby) as well as thin layers of clay, marl, due date of the sedimentary rocks to more than 35 and even 56 million years ago, where deposited in this region whenever the Mediterranean occupies a vast area much larger than those occupied by now, be the valley during the era البلستوسيني (or Pleistocene) by precipitation continued to rain on this spot led to the digging watercourses contacted each other over time, composed Current valley. Studies indicate that this part of Egyptian territory exposed to precipitation

Continues to rain a little over a year., As the area usually exposed to flash floods, leaving impurities attached graves

Open.

Featuring rock in the Valley of the Kings inherently divergent between rocks minute smooth and even cutting rocky harsh large size, the latter type is not suitable for building or construction, as well as shale, which covers classes scattered areas of the valley which has increased the difficulty of building tombs or mortuary the lack of an appropriate environment where expands shale in the presence of water leading to spacing rocks surrounding it up to date cracks in the walls and floor of the graves, which in turn leads to water leakage inside the cemetery updated great damage both in the building itself or mummy preserved inside, and believes that the quality of the rocks used are the cause of mutations that affected the shape and size of some of the graves discovered. [9]

Have benefited Constructors Egyptians variations of existing geologic Valley, where constructed some graves by drilling directly into the cracks between the layers of limestone, while constructed Another behind Almnhaddrt gravel and rubble rockfalls or on the edges of the jutting rock resulting from sewer flooding old. [9]

To determine the difficulty of the construction of these graves is worthwhile to look at مقبرتي Ramses III and his father six Nakht, where he began six Nakht drilling (tomb 11), but the working out has stopped after leading the excavation work to penetrate the cemetery Amon draft and then did not find six Nakht inevitably only rape (Cemetery 14) for Queen Tosrt. And when he took Ramses III governance, completed the cemetery, which has already begun his father in excavated. [11] The tomb of Ramses II has been constructed on the pattern axis curved a first construction methods royal tombs and the reason for this is the quality of the rock used in the construction of the cemetery which is often rocks resulting More rockslide that occurred in Esna. [12]

Within the framework of the renovation project of the royal tombs Bamarna between 1998 and 2002 has been cleared ground valley using radar, the researchers discovered that cracks in the valley stretches under the rubble of rockfalls composed shelves rocky natural Ktqtah one above the other meters in many subsurface rock component to ground the valley.]

Hydrology

Panoramic image of the valley heading north.

Located hills good and where there is the Valley of the Kings in one of the areas prone to thunderstorms severe, as confirmed by recent studies that seven tracks Faadanah active at the very least is in the heart of the valley, [14] an area that reports indicate that she has been flooding at the end of Dynasty eighth century which led to the extinction of many of the graves under the sediments flood which was confirmed by drilling and exploration during the discovery of the tomb 63 and Cemetery 62 cemetery 55 which has been detected in ground rocky actual valley and covered by sediment flood and it was determine the true level of the floor of the valley in that era, which fall more than five meters from the level now. [15] In the wake of the Eighteenth Dynasty work of the Pharaohs on the settlement of the land of the valley and then collects sediment flood away from the graves and then remained those graves reserved until it was discovered the late twentieth century, [16] Those flat area of ​​land was under consideration in the framework of the project royal tombs Bamarna the restoration, which confirmed radar surveys of the area and there are many differences

Beneath the surface of the earth proved later that one of these textural differences are 63 cemetery discovered eventually.

History

Summit century hierarchical form looks bright on the Valley of the Kings.

Began in ancient Egyptian human habitation and Valley of the Kings since the Middle Stone Age. Above the top of the century plateaus good all of which are known to the ancient Egyptians as ta Dahunt (meaning summit hieroglyphs) [18] which looks pyramid-shaped when viewed from the entrance to the valley in appearance similar to the pyramids of the Old Kingdom, which used كمقابر thousands of years before the establishment of the first royal tomb in the Valley , [19] [20] and likely some Egyptologists that the pyramid of the summit is one of the reasons for choosing this spot for the construction of the Tombs of the Kings completely such as the use pyramids for the burial of kings in the Old Kingdom, and was the site of the Valley of Kings reclusive relatively reason for the difficulty of the arrival of thieves and نابشي graves him forces which helped to protect private property graves (Madچaa) the funeral to protect the city as a whole. [21]

Pat belief for a long time that the buildings pyramid-shaped particularly Pyramids of Giza are the traditional model of graves property in ancient Egypt at various ages, but most of the royal tombs carved entirely of rock, although the pyramids and terraces (models of the royal tombs in the Old Kingdom) has been Chiedhm by deduction from the ground level, but that in Egypt there are many royal tombs carved entirely of rock (along the lines of the royal tombs Valley of the Kings) and dating to the era of the old state. [22]

After the defeat of the Hyksos and the reunification of Egypt under the leadership of Ahmose I work kings of Thebes on the construction of tombs towering them to be a sign of strength emerging, [23] Nevertheless, some studies suggest that مقبرتي Ahmose I and his son Amenhotep I exist in the city mortuary on the family seventeen area arm Abul Naga west of Luxor, [24] (albeit locations المقبرتين not detected them conclusively yet), but other studies have confirmed that the first royal tombs built in the valley are مقبرتي Amenhotep I (which have not been identified), [25] and Thutmose I, which appear on the walls tips senior advisers إنيني which drew advised the king to choose this spot for the construction of his tomb (and studies going so far to identify the tomb of Thutmose I emphatically as dispute is about المقبرتين Cemetery 20 Cemetery 38). [18]

   I thought I was alone Majesty cemetery in carving the rocks here is, what of Hearing and seer. [26]

The valley began to be used for the burial of kings the first time around 1539 BC. AD. And continued to bury the kings of the modern state until the year 1075 BC. AD. It features 63 cemetery at the very least, the beginning of a cemetery Thutmose I (and perhaps before that date also, specifically during the era of Amenhotep I) and the end of the era of Ramses X or Ramses atheist century, but burials have continued to individuals not يمتون irrelevant to the families of the royal tombs usurped after this history. [27]

In spite of the name, but the Valley of the Kings does not include the tombs of the kings only; but includes tombs of the nobles close to the Kings in addition to the graves with the wives of kings and their children as well as the wives of noblemen and their children and therefore graves actual containing the remains of kings and nobles and members of royal families does not exceed the number twenty cemetery while a graves which did not specify the identity of the owners as well as mummies embalmed and buried in dig Bgeoff ground the rest of the tombs and burial chambers that have been detected [28].

With the beginning of the reign of Ramses I (about 1301 BC.). Began working separately in the construction of the Valley of the Queens near the Valley of the Kings.

Funerary city property

Known as the Valley of Kings old as the city mortuary property Great for millions of years in the life of the pharaoh and his strength and his health in western Thebes [30] (the name of the city hieroglyphs written below) and also known as Ta Secht Maat "Any Great valley" and was the name most prevalent. [30]

In the early era of the Eighteenth Dynasty was the Kings the only ones buried in the tombs of great, when you bury one of individuals outside the members of the royal family were usually buried in a room carved out of the rock next to the tomb of his master, [26] as usual to bury the king in a cemetery next to the tomb of his father and proving that the tomb of Amenhotep III, which was constructed in the valley west, and when he held his son Akhenaten power has transferred his tomb personal information to Amarna and then believed that the cemetery incomplete (Cemetery 25) is a cemetery which had been prepared in advance for him, [31] with the return to religion Egyptian origin at the end of the era of the Eighteenth Dynasty kings returned to be buried in the city mortuary and was at the head of these kings Tutankhamun and Khپr Khپro Ra Ay and Horemheb. [32]

And witnessed the era of dynasties nineteenth and twentieth increase in the number of cemeteries constructed either Valley of the Kings or Queens, the beginning of the reign of Ramses II and later Ramses III الذان Qama building tombs هائلتين them and their children after two Almcyprtan Cemetery 5 and Cemetery 3, respectively, [33] [34] There are also many kings who were buried in the city or not funerary tombs after inference; For example, there claimed that Thutmose II was buried in the Dra Abu Naga (although found on property Momyate in the cemetery Royal Marine monastery), [35] as No inference on buried Smonkh the Ka Ra, as well as Ramses VIII and who is likely buried in a different area of ​​the city mortuary.

In keeping with the religious rites authentic since the age of builders pyramids, where he was attached to a temple جنائزيا next to the Haram, continued curvature itself in times of successive but with work to hide the tomb of King deliberately constructed these temples at a distance from the burial site basic and close to agricultural land confrontation of the city of Thebes, [18] and turned these temples to shrines during the holidays different which was held in the city mortuary كعيد beautiful valley, which celebrates the god Amun - Ra and قرينيه Mut and Khonsu leave the Temple of Karnak to visit the temples of kings Almtnhristin West Bank of the Nile and ضرائحهم the city's funeral. [36]

Thanks in the establishment of such cemeteries and decorate it with inscriptions and frescoes to the workers village of Deir el-Medina, located in the narrow valley that separates the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens face good and the workers were traveling between their village and place of work by paved roads between the hills of Thebes, was to know a lot about these workers through official records and documents that were found in the graves, [37] Among these documents and document talking about workers' strike may be the first in the history of mankind a document known internationally as the Turin Papyrus strike. [38] [39]

 Explore the Valley of the Kings

A general view of the valley east shows the entrance to the tomb of Tutankhamun.

The area and the Valley of the Kings and one of the largest areas of exploration archaeological relating to the knowledge of Egyptology over the last two centuries, after it had been just a tourist site in ancient times (especially on the Roman era), [27], as this area was witness to the transformation of the long systematic study of the history of Egypt old and who started from stealing antiquities and looting graves until he arrived at what he now explorations scientific removed the curtain from the city of Thebes funeral as a whole, and despite these explorations are all but it has not been documented more than eleven cemetery yet fully know all the details about them and their respective owners .

And contains many graves inscriptions on the walls left by tourists long ago, where select researcher چol Baile more than 2,100 inscribed on the walls of tombs in both Latin and Greek as well as a smaller number of inscriptions in other languages ​​such as Phoenician and Coptic and some other languages, [27] and found most of these inscriptions in the cemetery Cemetery 9 and found the pattern for nearly a thousand oldest dates back to around the year 278 BC. [40].

By 1799 has been drawing the first map of the grave sites discovered so that time is due this work for scholars of the French campaign on Egypt, especially Dominique ڤaڤant also observed for the first time the existence of the valley west (where select both the پrosپar چoloah and Edward de ڤelier de Taraچ grave site of Amenhotep III, known cemetery 22 ), [41] The Description of Egypt also included two volumes of the four and twenty volumes Ahoian the complete codification of the observations scientists campaign and called them the surrounding area Thebes. [42]

And continued campaigns scouting European after this date, with the early nineteenth century motivated by the success of Champollion in deciphering the writing hieroglyphics, began campaigns scout led Belzoni entrusted by Henry Salt, and has already managed to Belzoni to discover many of the graves of them; cemetery Khپr Khپro Ra Aye Valley West (Cemetery 23) in 1816 and then the tomb of Seti I (Cemetery 17) in the following year, and with the end of his visit to the region announced Belzoni that what has been found during this campaign exploratory is the most that can be found leaving something else of value to the exploration for, and mentions that in the meantime, the same was Consul General of Frenchman Bernardino Drofeta the (Grimm Belzoni and Salt) works individually is also in the same area of ​​research. [43]

However re-inauguration of Gaston Maspero for the presidency of the interest of the Egyptian Antiquities change the method of drilling in the valley, where the Maspero appointed Howard Carter, president of the inspectors in Upper Egypt, and have already succeeded young man in the discovery of many cemeteries new addition to its contributions to the disclosure of المقبرتين Cemetery 42 cemetery 20. [44 ]

Entrance to the tomb of Horemheb immediately after the discovery in 1908.

However shining dawn of the twentieth century, succeeded American lawyer Theodore Davis in obtaining permission to search and exploration in the region from the Egyptian government, and succeeded his team led by Egyptologist British Edward Contact Ayrton in the detection of many royal tombs and non-ownership (including the cemetery 43 and the cemetery 46 and the cemetery 57) , also succeeded in finding evidence of the cemetery Amarna period in the cemetery 55, then they extract the last vestiges of Tutankhamun buried from المقبرتين Cemetery 54 cemetery 58 and declared that the end of the explorations Valley of the Kings forever and can not find any traces or graves again and came in the book that Davis himself published in 1912 under the title of the tombs of Horemheb and Tutankhamen مذيلا the book yet latter بتعليقه on recent explorations:

   I think that the Valley of the Kings has completely exhausted [45]

After the death of Davis early in 1915 got George Herbert (Earl كرنرفون V) on the right of franchise research and exploration in the Valley of the Kings and appointed Howard Carter at the head of his team of explorers and, indeed, the team was able to find a cemetery real Tutankhamun known tomb 62 in November 1922

And lasted several scouting missions in the exploration and research until the present time, adding a lot of information and facts about this region, until he came good planning project in 2001 and has developed many of the signs that provide a lot of information and maps of open graves.