Valley of the Kings Egypt

In this publication, I want to share the visual content of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings, in the City of the Dead, Luxor, Egypt. I’m not trying to prove or impose anything — I simply invite you to look at these photographs and form your own conclusions. Your reflections are just as valuable as those of professional Egyptologists, because no one truly knows what exactly is depicted on these walls, when it was created, or for what purpose. Many claim that these scenes represent ritual ceremonies, but this is the standard explanation offered by official science for almost any unknown object. Personally, I do not support the idea that these were tombs — just as I don’t consider dolmens, pyramids, or the structures of Petra to be tombs. So let’s simply look at the photographs.

It’s hard not to notice the huge number of snakes — they appear in practically every tomb.

There is yet another fragment of wall paintings. I continue to show the photographs in the order in which I took them inside different tombs.

Snakes with human heads are found throughout Egyptian paintings — this is not an exception but a recurring motif.

Most of these images were restored in modern times, as many tombs were discovered in severely damaged condition.

On the next wall, you can see rows of hieroglyphs, many of them repeating, especially in the upper lines. A question arises: how should they be read — from left to right or from top to bottom? The vertical alignment suggests they may be read top to bottom, at least in my view.

Why was all this left behind? Who were these images intended for? The ancient artisans must have understood that someone would look at them eventually, and perhaps believed the meaning of these scenes would be obvious.

Here we see a scene whose meaning is difficult to explain unambiguously. It’s not easy to understand what exactly is happening — and this ambiguity appears on thousands of kilometers of painted walls throughout Egypt.

This photograph shows extensive restoration. Much of it was redrawn over the surviving fragments, and some details may have been interpreted by modern artists.

Still, it’s better to have a reconstruction like this than to lose the image entirely. It’s unlikely that restorers invented such scenes — they worked from whatever remained.

The images show boats, snakes, human-headed beings, and other figures. These are extremely unusual and enigmatic compositions, often resembling technical devices or processes whose meaning must have been clear to the ancients.

This fragment once again highlights the importance of the theme of snakes and reptiles. These are not just animals: many are depicted as intelligent beings — holding objects, interacting, standing, walking, or even flying.

This concludes the walk. I hope you enjoyed it. Take a look at my other publications — I’ve already shared many materials not only about Egypt but also about mysterious structures from around the world.

What do the wall paintings in the Valley of the Kings actually show?

Most wall paintings in the Valley of the Kings combine scenes from funerary texts with rich symbolic imagery: boats crossing the underworld, gods guiding the sun, and rows of deities and hieroglyphs. Scholars usually interpret these compositions as guides for the king’s journey through night and rebirth into the day. At the same time, many scenes remain ambiguous, leaving room for different readings and personal interpretations, especially when figures look more like technical diagrams than religious “pictures.”

What valley of the kings facts help explain the mysterious scenes in these tombs?

One of the key valley of the kings facts is that this necropolis concentrated dozens of royal and elite tombs in a relatively small area, which encouraged a shared visual “language” across different chambers. Many images refer to long ritual texts, so without that background the scenes can look completely enigmatic. Modern Egyptology reads them as coded messages about protection, transformation and the path through the underworld, while some independent researchers see in them depictions of complex technologies or processes whose meaning has been lost.

Why are snakes and human-headed serpents so common in the tomb paintings?

In Egyptian iconography, serpents are powerful symbols that can represent both danger and protection. In the Valley of the Kings you often see multi-headed snakes, human-headed serpents and long coiled creatures surrounding boats or gods, which are linked to underworld books such as the Amduat and the Book of Gates. Some serpents guard the solar barque and help defeat chaos, while others embody threats like the great serpent Apophis, so the same motif can carry opposite meanings depending on context.

How much of the decoration is original and how much is modern restoration?

Many tombs in the Valley of the Kings were discovered in a damaged state, with collapsed ceilings, flaking plaster and faded pigments. Conservators often had to clean, consolidate and, in some cases, carefully repaint missing fragments following the surviving outlines. In some tombs you can clearly see where modern paint overlaps ancient plaster, while in others the work is almost invisible. Overall, most of the main scenes and compositions are ancient, but their current brightness and completeness are strongly influenced by recent restoration campaigns.

Which tombs are considered the valley of the kings best tombs for a first visit?

For a first visit, many travellers choose a mix of shorter and more elaborate tombs that show different decorative programs. Popular options often include the richly painted tomb of Seti I, the joint tomb of Ramesses V and VI with its impressive celestial ceiling, and the compact but iconic tomb of Tutankhamun where the young king’s mummy is displayed. The set of tombs open to the public changes from time to time, so it is worth checking locally which of the widely recommended chambers are accessible during your trip.

What should visitors know about tickets, time in the tombs and photography rules?

Tickets to the Valley of the Kings usually include access to a limited number of standard tombs, with separate passes for special chambers and optional photo permits. Inside, the corridors can be narrow and humid, so visits are often kept short to protect the paintings and manage crowds, especially in the most popular tombs. Photography rules change periodically, but flash is almost always forbidden, and in some cases all photos are banned unless you buy a specific permit, so it is important to check the current regulations at the entrance before descending underground.