Ta Set Neferu - Valley of the Queens - is a famous necropolis located southwest of Medinet Habu in Egypt, not far from Thebes.
The first to explore the valley was the Italian Giovanni Batista Belzoni, an amateur archaeologist. He went there in 1816 and tried to excavate as many tombs as possible. Belzoni is accused of damaging many archaeological sites. He did not view them from the point of view of an explorer, but was a treasure seeker. In 1828, John Gardiner Wilkinson found 24 tombs. Later Champollion, Roseling and Karl Richard Lepsius carried out work on the registration and preservation of the found tombs, mummies and artifacts. The first professional expedition to the valley was organized at the beginning of the 20th century, when Ernesto Schiaparelli and Francesco Ballerini explored the ancient necropolises. To date, 98 tombs have been discovered in the Valley of the Queens.
Ernesto Schiaparelli.
The name Ta Set Neferu means "a place of beauty" or "a place for royal children." The tombs found in the valley date from 1550-712. BC. Most of them were plundered in antiquity, many were reused during the Roman period. Some of the oldest graves contain animal mummies.
The wise counselors of the Egyptian pharaohs
After the fall of the 18th dynasty, the country needed strong new rulers. Besides good education and charisma, Ramses I, Seti I and Ramses II had another advantage - they were supported by wise women.
The first of them is Sitra, her name means "daughter of Ra". The tomb of the queen (QV38) was discovered in the 19th century. She belonged to the family of a soldier from Lower Egypt, who may have served in the army of Khoremeb, the last pharaoh of the 18th dynasty. Sitre became the wife of Ramses I, who changed the country after a difficult period of reign by the previous kings. She was crowned as a great queen. Written sources say that she was not just a wife, but also the closest adviser and friend of the pharaoh. Sitra was the mother of Pharaoh Seti I, who became one of the most prominent Egyptian rulers in history.
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Image of Sitra and her name.
The tomb of Sitra was the first in the valley, the paintings in it are badly damaged, but the face of the queen is still visible on one of the walls. The queen died at an advanced age, choosing a wife for her son Seti - her successor Tuyu, also known as Mut-Tui. Tuya became another influential woman of the 18th dynasty who supported her husband. Her father was Raya, a military officer. Tuya gave birth to Ramses II and remained an active politician until her death in the 22nd year of her son's reign. Tui's Tomb (QV80) is more damaged than Sitra's tomb, most of the precious artifacts have disappeared since antiquity. The Luxor Museum houses part of the canopic tree from Tui's tomb.
A statue of Tui kept at the Vatican.
The pearl of the valley of the queens
The name Nefertari means "beautiful companion". Her love story with Ramses II is one of the most romantic in the history of Ancient Egypt. After the death of Nefertari, Pharaoh expressed his feelings for his wife in an inscription in her tomb (QV66). The inscription testifies that Ramses II really loved her, the death of Nefertari broke his heart. She was chosen as a wife by Ramses himself, and not by the imperious Tuya, although it was the mother who was responsible for finding a future wife for her son. Ramses saw the beautiful Nefertari and decided to marry her. However, their marriage caused a scandal due to her belonging to the family of Ay, her father. Everything that was associated with the Amarna period was disapproved (during the reign of the pharaohs Akhenaten and Smenkhkara in the XIV-XIII centuries BC, in the late Bronze Age. In the sixth year of his reign, Akhenaten founded the new capital Akhetaton in Middle Egypt,which was located on the site of modern Amarna, in a valley surrounded by mountains on the eastern bank of the Nile, 300 km south of Cairo). The hatred of the old dynasty was so strong that Ramses II decided to destroy the ruins of the city created by Akhenaten and Nefertiti. He used stones to build a new capital.
Tomb wall with the image of Queen Nefertari, wife of Pharaoh Ramses II.
When Schiaparelli entered Nefertari's tomb in 1905, he was shocked by the damage done by the robbers and fascinated by the beauty of the paintings, which are well preserved. Unfortunately, most of the treasures were stolen from the tomb or damaged. The mummy was destroyed, only the queen's mummified knees were found in the tomb.
What happened to other parts of her body? They may have been taken to Europe to produce "mummy powder", a popular medicine among European nobles, especially in the 18th and 19th centuries. Some of the artifacts found in the tomb are on display in a museum in Turin.
Tombs of other queens
Many wives of the pharaohs are buried in the Valley of the Queens, among them Titi (tomb QV52). It is not known which of the Ramses was her husband, probably Ramses III. Her tomb is very similar to the tombs of his sons, it is possible that she could be the mother of some of them. Her tomb has a corridor leading to a square burial chamber and two small rooms. The murals are poorly preserved, but some scenes with the winged Maat can be discerned. On one wall the queen is depicted in front of the sons of Horus.
Entrance to Titi's tomb.
The tombs of the wife of Ramses III, mother of Ramses VI and other queens were also found. Many tombs are still awaiting exploration. In the second part of the article, you will learn about the tombs of the sons and daughters of the great pharaohs who are buried in the Valley of the Queens.