The Valley of the Queens
The Valley of the Queens, called in ancient Egyptian Ta-set-neferu meaning "Place of the sons (of Pharaoh)", and in Arabic Biban el Harim, meaning "Gates of the harem", is located in a wide valley, southwest of the Valley of the Kings, in the rocky part overlooking the western plain of Thebes.
It is the necropolis in which the hypogeum tombs of the royal brides, princesses and princes, precisely the sons of Pharaoh as the name in Egyptian reports, but also high court figures of the New Kingdom, belonging to the 18th, 19th and 20th dynasties, were excavated.
A sacred site where Italian archaeologist Ernesto Schiaparelli, who was also director of the Egyptian Museum in Turin, discovered some 80 tombs between 1903 and 1906, some of which were well finished, some very ruined, and some never completed. The looting went as far back as the end of the Ramesside age; later, from the 21st dynasty to the Saite era, these tombs were reused for various purposes, and in Roman times Christians covered some of the wall representations with plaster, actually protecting them from damage by time and people. Then came the Arabs who burned the mummies, grave goods and wall paintings: that is why today these tombs are in a very deteriorated state except for one: that of Queen Nefertari, the great bride of Ramesses II.
But why did they choose this very valley to bury the wives and children of the pharaohs?
Probably the choice was dictated by the presence of a waterfall in a cave at the bottom of the valley, which suggested a religious and funerary concept, since this cave would represent the womb of the Celestial Cow from which the waters that heralded the resurrection of the dead emerged. In reality, the friable rock did not make the site suitable for the construction of hypogeum tombs, but Egyptian artists, to remedy this problem, covered the limestone walls with clay, although unfortunately this was not worth preserving the wall depictions.
Poor decoration or the disappearance of grave goods from their original context made it impossible to establish the ownership of some tombs, however, the architectural typology made it possible to give a sketchy authorship as it varies according to the sex and rank of the patron, as well as the era in which the tomb was built.
Most of the burials are 18th Dynasty funerary shafts, simple and without wall paintings, intended mostly for private individuals. Later, in the 19th and 20th dynasties, simple tombs were excavated for princesses, tomb-galleries for princes and large tombs for queens with splendid wall decorations. The first real burial in the Valley of the Queens belongs to Satre, great royal bride of Ramses I, with walls covered with paintings symbolizing the path to the afterlife.
Among the most interesting tombs is, in addition to the aforementioned tomb of Queen Nefertari, the tomb of Queen Titi: at first it was believed that Titi was the wife of Ramesses III, but in the uncertainty of knowing to which Ramesses she was married, it can only be stated that Titi was the wife of a Ramesses of the 20th Dynasty. In the tomb's wall representations, Queen Titi is depicted wearing a braid, a symbol of childhood, suggesting that she died very young. The tomb consists of a corridor leading to the burial chamber and three smaller cross-shaped chambers whose paintings have unfortunately not been preserved.
We also find the tomb of Nefertari's daughter Henuttauy and Princess Nebettauy, quite well preserved.
Rameses III also had tombs built here for some of his sons: interesting, because of the magnificent paintings that are very well preserved, is the tomb of AmonHerKhepeshef, who died while still a child. He is depicted in bright colors with blue hues and bas-reliefs characterized by a refined and elegant style, in the act of his father presenting him to some deities. Stairs lead to a corridor that then leads to an antechamber and from there to the burial chamber, which extends into another rear chamber where the sarcophagus was transferred: in the burial chamber the remains of a prematurely born child, whose identity is still unknown, are now preserved in a glass case.
And then again the tomb of Khaemuaset also the son of Ramesses III, which has the same floor plan as a royal tomb, but smaller in size, in which beautiful colored reliefs show the prince in the presence of his father and in the act of offering gifts to the gods. When it was discovered in 1903, the corridor was occluded by several sarcophagi as if the tomb had been reused several times.
Another tomb is that of Pra-Her-Umenef, also the son of Ramesses III, who is often depicted with his father and mother in the presence of various deities.
Certainly the Valley of the Queens is still full of undiscovered secrets, which is why excavation continues throughout the area and in the side valleys called by the modern names of "Valley of Prince Ahmes," "Valley of the Dolmen," "Valley of the Three Wells," and "Valley of the Rope," until new burials and treasures come to light!
