is located on the west bank of the Nile (across from Thebes)
and consists of tombs built for the New Kingdom Kings
The wives children and favorite nobles of the Kings have
also been buried alongside them
The valley hosts 62 tombs of which the earliest tomb
is that of Thutmose I
The tombs were cut deeply into the valley floor
in the hope that this would prevent them being robbed
as had occurred in the pyramids
There were false doors to trick the grave robbers
but such innovations did not prevent the tombs being ransacked
especially as the robberies often involved the authorities
However the idea of pyramids combined with tombs
was not completely abandoned as to the ancient Egyptians
pyramids symbolism the King's accent to the heavens
Tutankhamen tomb was discovered by Howard Carter in 1922
Tutankhamen tomb was the last to be discovered
because it lay beneath the rubble generated
by the excavation of Ramses VI tomb
the 9th tomb to be discovered
Ra was the sun god
believed to have created the world
The tombs contain images of Ra
depicting his daily cycle of rising
and setting each day
as Ra (Re) was creator of the world
this daily cycle symbolized renewal
Ra was viewed as the paramount force of creation
and master of life
The Ancient egyptians
believed that the sunset symbolized death