The Valley of the Queens sits a ten-minute drive from the Valley of the Kings on Luxor’s West Bank, and the two sites are genuinely different in character. The kings’ valley is larger, its tombs are deeper and more complex, and its visitor numbers reflect its fame. The queens’ valley is quieter, its tombs are more intimate, and its decorative programs — oriented toward the Book of the Dead and the journey of individual souls — feel more personal than the grand cosmic programs of the royal tombs.
Known in ancient Egyptian as Ta-Set-Neferu — “The Place of Beauty” — the valley holds over 90 tombs used primarily during the 19th and 20th Dynasties (roughly 1295–1070 BCE), when Ramesses II, Ramesses III, and their successors built burial chambers here for their wives, daughters, and royal sons. The same artisans from Deir el-Medina who carved and painted the Valley of the Kings’ royal chambers also built these.
History and Purpose
The Valley of the Queens was first used as a burial ground during the 18th Dynasty, but it was informal and occasional. The valley became a formal royal necropolis during the 19th Dynasty — specifically associated with the reign of Ramesses II — when it was systematically established as the burial place for members of the royal family who were not themselves pharaohs.
This meant queens, but also princes and princesses who died before inheriting the throne. Several of Ramesses III‘s sons are buried here, depicted in their tombs still wearing the sidelock of childhood — a poignant detail that makes the valley feel different from the adjacent kings’ tombs.
The location was chosen deliberately: proximity to Deir el-Medina (whose artisans would build the tombs) and to the Valley of the Kings (maintaining the connection to royal burial geography) while keeping the female and junior royal burials in their own consecrated space.
Notable Tombs
QV66 — Queen Nefertari
The most celebrated tomb in the Valley of the Queens and consistently ranked among the finest painted chambers anywhere in Egypt. The wife of Ramesses II, Nefertari received a burial chamber whose wall paintings — vivid blues, reds, and golds — are considered the high point of New Kingdom funerary art.
Current status: QV66 has been closed for restoration since March 2, 2024. No confirmed reopening date has been announced. Confirm current status at the ticket office before visiting. When it reopens, a separate premium ticket (approximately EGP 2,500, based on previous pricing) is required beyond the standard Valley of the Queens entry. See our dedicated Tomb of Nefertari guide for the full description.
QV55 — Prince Amenherkhepshef
One of the sons of Ramesses III, Amenherkhepshef died young — he is depicted in his tomb still wearing the sidelock of childhood. The tomb’s scenes show the prince being presented to various deities by his father, a sequence that underscores the royal family’s role as intermediaries between the human and divine worlds. The colors are well-preserved and the human scale of the imagery (a father introducing his dead son to the gods) gives the tomb an emotional directness unusual in formal Egyptian art.
QV44 — Prince Khaemwaset
Another son of Ramesses III, also depicted with the sidelock of youth. The tomb contains inscriptions emphasizing royal lineage and divine protection. Khaemwaset’s tomb is smaller than QV55 but part of the same dynastic picture — the 20th Dynasty’s investment in providing proper burials for royal children who didn’t survive to inherit.
QV52 — Queen Tyti
Tyti was likely the wife of Ramesses III (though her exact relationship to specific pharaohs is debated among Egyptologists). Her tomb contains impressive depictions of gods and goddesses and follows the standard queenly decorative program — the Book of the Dead, protective deities, scenes of offering — with above-average preservation.
Art and Architecture
The tombs of the Valley of the Queens are structurally smaller than royal tombs — a sloping entrance corridor leading to a burial chamber, often with one or two side rooms. But within this smaller frame, the decorative programs are dense and carefully executed.
The imagery throughout the valley follows a consistent theological program: the deceased (whether queen or royal child) accompanied by protective deities, scenes from the Book of the Dead, the judgment of the heart, and images of the afterlife as an eternal continuation of earthly existence. Mineral-based pigments — malachite for green, lapis-derived compounds for blue, ochre for red and yellow — have survived remarkably well in the dry desert conditions.
The overall effect is more intimate than the Valley of the Kings. These aren’t the grand cosmic maps of the pharaohs’ theological journeys; they’re the personal protection manuals of individuals whose connection to divinity came through their relationship to the pharaoh rather than through the throne itself.
Visiting the Valley of the Queens
Location: West Bank of Luxor, approximately 10 minutes by car from the Valley of the Kings ticket area. Reachable by taxi or as part of a West Bank driver hire.
- Standard entry ticket
- EGP 220 (foreign adult) / EGP 110 (foreign student)
- QV66 (Nefertari) ticket
- Approximately EGP 2,500 when open — currently closed; confirm status at ticket office
- Hours
- 6:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Photography
- Flash prohibited in all tombs; confirm personal photography rules at the entrance
- Time needed
- 60–90 minutes for the standard rotation tombs
- Accessibility
- Uneven paths and some stairs; sturdy footwear essential
Which tombs are open: the standard entry ticket covers the currently open rotation of non-premium tombs. Which specific tombs are accessible rotates for conservation reasons — confirm at the ticket office which are open on the day of your visit.
Combining visits: the Valley of the Queens pairs naturally with Deir el-Medina (10 minutes by car — the village where the artisans who built both valleys lived) and Medinet Habu (15 minutes — the mortuary temple of Ramesses III, whose sons are buried in QV55 and QV44). Together these three make a coherent half-day on the southern West Bank.