March 13, 2020 at The Valley of the Kings, and the Valley of the Queens

We march into and out of the tombs. Down, down, down to the end of the ramp and into the antechamber, past the death-defying shafts meant to deter trespassers and transport the sarcophagus. Along the walls the glyphs tell the stories of those buried within. Their remains have been removed long ago. Some here, some there—off to the parent country of their discoverer: England, US, Japan, Germany, and others. Archeological work is a never-ending, tedious, and continual process that unearths fresh discoveries every few months. Below I show some of their splendid discoveries.

Snakes are frequently depicted here. One task of the deceased is to battle snakes before entering the underworld.

It is quite an experience to place ones hand over a hieroglyph and trace the lines of the stone carver.

Lush gardens were thought to be present here. Above, the round darkened depressions are where ancient trees once stood. The remains of the trunk of one such tree still remains nearby, said to have been planted during the reign of Queen Nefertiti.

Interior of one burial chamber with entrance to another room. Many such rooms are present here.

3,500 year old paint still intact.

Some art work is beautifully preserved such as in this chamber.

Only after successfully overcoming the three-headed snake at right can the King (left) be allowed into the afterlife via the shaft to the burial chamber he stands upon.

On our way to enter the spectacular mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut. Temples were built to honor rulers, to honor gods, or to celebrate afterlife, as in the temple above, which contains chambers for high priests, embalmers, and others.

Our guide, Tarek, gives us a history lesson at the Valley of the Kings.

Spectacular statues adorn, or perhaps guard, the entrance to the mortuary temple.

Archaeological dig site at the mortuary temple. The excavated pieces have been unearthed in just the past 6 months, Tarek explains. It is now the job of archaeolgists to figure out what each piece represents, then try to put them all back together.