Jenny and I were fortunate to be able to go to Egypt recently to see some of the amazing ruins and antiquities dating back some 5000 plus years. The Egyptian Government, with the help of many other governments, have done a beautiful job of restoring some of these priceless work of arts: yes works of art.
Today we are in the Valley of the Nobles which is located on the west bank of the Nile River in the Luxor area. This site has tombs cut into the rock and the mountains for Nobles and high officials who served the Pharaohs. During this period, the Egyptians lived on the East side of the Nile with tombs on the west side. This is true with the Valley of the Kings, which we will discuss later. It is estimated that their are over a hundred tombs, many of which have not been opened.
In this shot you can see the entrance to some of the tombs in center at the back. One can easily see why they buried their dead here, pretty barren place!
This is an example of what one of the tombs looks like, in fact this one belonged to Ra-Mose, one of the most important of the Nobles buried in this valley. (Note: pictures were not allowed inside the tombs and as such I did not take this picture; I got it from the internet; not sure were the author got the picture!! I promise!)
This is the entrance to one of the tombs, though not Ra-Mose. The inside was hugh and many, many carvings and paintings on the walls and ceiling. The number 331 actually indicated that this is Noble Penne tomb.
Another shot with the tombs in the background; also note the homes or shacks in the center left. Years ago there were homes all over this area. When the tombs started to be discovered the homeowners would cut a hole in their floor of the house and go down and steal the precious artifacts. The government finally caught up with them and started moving the people and demolishing the homes.
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