We woke up bright and early in Luxor for a long day of sightseeing. Our first stop was the Valley of the Kings. Cameras are not allowed after a certain point, I'm sorry to say. I wish I could show you the interior of the tombs because they were simply breathtaking. This is a view of the entrance of the Valley of the Kings from the parking lot.
I'm not going to bore you hear with all the details of the valley, its purpose, number of tombs, etc. You can read about the valley from National Geographic or read up on Wikipedia.
The tombs are cut into the cliffs and jig-jag all over each other, under and over. We visited three different tombs. I simply wasn't prepared for the breathtaking colors of the paint on the walls. Do an image search on google images and search for Valley of the Kings Tombs. So you have to understand that ruins in Egypt are thousands of years old and many things are in bad condition. So I expected the tombs to be in equally bad condition. The paintings and carvings aren't perfect. Things are missing but you almost don't notice in the stunning array of gorgeous, vivid colors and beautiful images.
My sons had been reading Rick Riordan's series The Kane Chronicles which explores Egyptian history through a very modern, fast-paced plot. Because of the books, they were able to really understand what they were seeing inside the tombs. My son was able to point out the different gods depicted on the walls and explain their functions and meaning. It was awesome.
We paid the extra money to go into Tutankhamen's tomb which was remarkably small. I knew it was small from reading about it, but actually seeing its small size really astounded me. I've seen the collection of items found in the tomb. Frankly, I can't believe they managed to stuff it all in. King Tutankhamen's body was displayed very respectfully and decently. He was wearing only the linen bandages and was covered with a sheet. I think it is nice they left his body in his tomb.
Going in those tombs was so amazing, a life-long dream. I just wish I had pictures to share!
I'm not going to bore you hear with all the details of the valley, its purpose, number of tombs, etc. You can read about the valley from National Geographic or read up on Wikipedia.
The tombs are cut into the cliffs and jig-jag all over each other, under and over. We visited three different tombs. I simply wasn't prepared for the breathtaking colors of the paint on the walls. Do an image search on google images and search for Valley of the Kings Tombs. So you have to understand that ruins in Egypt are thousands of years old and many things are in bad condition. So I expected the tombs to be in equally bad condition. The paintings and carvings aren't perfect. Things are missing but you almost don't notice in the stunning array of gorgeous, vivid colors and beautiful images.
My sons had been reading Rick Riordan's series The Kane Chronicles which explores Egyptian history through a very modern, fast-paced plot. Because of the books, they were able to really understand what they were seeing inside the tombs. My son was able to point out the different gods depicted on the walls and explain their functions and meaning. It was awesome.
We paid the extra money to go into Tutankhamen's tomb which was remarkably small. I knew it was small from reading about it, but actually seeing its small size really astounded me. I've seen the collection of items found in the tomb. Frankly, I can't believe they managed to stuff it all in. King Tutankhamen's body was displayed very respectfully and decently. He was wearing only the linen bandages and was covered with a sheet. I think it is nice they left his body in his tomb.
Going in those tombs was so amazing, a life-long dream. I just wish I had pictures to share!
What fantastic opportunity! It is great that your boys had been reading The Kane Chronicles and had a framework for understanding what they were looking at.
ReplyDelete