While we were in Luxor, we spent an afternoon visiting the Valley of the Kings, site of the tombs of the New Kingdom pharoahs from the 16th to 11th centuries BC, including the most famous one of all, that of Tutankhamun. The valley itself is quite stark and barren, with little sign above ground of the riches that were once (and perhaps still are) buried there. It was fun descending into some of the tombs and seeing wall paintings that were thousands of years old.
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| Ancient wall paintings,Valley of the Kings. Luxor, Egypt. Image: 18476 Location: Luxor, Egypt  View this Image in Google Earth! |
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| Valley of the Kings, roadway leading from Nile River to a complex of ancient tombs. Luxor, Egypt. Image: 18501 Location: Luxor, Egypt View this Image in Google Earth! |
Although the burial mask of Tutankhamun (actually there were several) is now displayed at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, it was pulled from Tut’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings when it was discovered in 1922.
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| Burial mask of King Tutankhamen, Egyptian Museum. Cairo, Egypt. Image: 18497 Location: Cairo, Egypt View this Image in Google Earth! |
