Valley of the Kings, West Bank Luxor
No trip to the Al-Awamiyya area of Luxor's West Bank is complete without descending into the rock-cut tombs of the Valley of the Kings — the royal necropolis where Egypt's greatest pharaohs were laid to rest in chambers blazing with 3,000-year-old colour. It is, quite simply, one of the most extraordinary places on Earth.
The Greatest Open-Air Museum on Earth
Luxor, built on the site of ancient Thebes, served as Egypt's capital during its most glorious period from around 2000 to 1000 BCE, and the West Bank is where its rulers chose to spend eternity. The Valley of the Kings is the centrepiece of that necropolis, a sun-bleached limestone wadi concealing more than 60 royal tombs cut deep into the cliffs.
The standard entry ticket covers three tombs on a rotating selection — enough to leave you speechless. Hieroglyphs, astronomical ceilings and vivid scenes from the Book of the Dead cover every surface, preserved by the valley's bone-dry air. Add-on tickets for Tutankhamun's tomb (KV62) or Seti I's extraordinary burial chamber are well worth the extra cost.
West Bank Wonders Beyond the Valley
The Valley of the Kings is the headline act, but the West Bank rewards those who linger. The mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari rises in three colonnaded terraces against a sheer cliff face — one of the most dramatic architectural statements in the ancient world. The Colossi of Memnon, two 18-metre sandstone giants standing sentinel on the plain, make for an unmissable roadside stop en route.
Deir el-Medina, the ancient workers' village where the tomb-builders themselves lived, offers a surprisingly intimate glimpse into daily New Kingdom life — its own small tombs are among the most vividly painted in all of Luxor, and rarely crowded.
Practical Tips for the West Bank
The West Bank is best explored by hiring a private driver or joining a small-group tour from the Luxor ferry terminal — the sites are spread across several kilometres of desert road and are impractical to walk between in summer heat. Start no later than 7 am to beat both the tour-bus crowds and the fierce midday sun.
Photography inside the tombs is officially prohibited to protect the pigments, so commit the colours to memory rather than your camera roll. The experience of standing in a 3,200-year-old painted chamber, torch in hand, is one that no photograph could do justice to anyway.
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