Photo album: "Thebes: The Necropolis"

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On Saturday 5 April, in the afternoon we take the train to Luxor which we join in the evening. Luxor is located on the site of Ouaset the city of ancient Egypt which was renamed Thebes by the Greeks. On the east bank of the Nile are the temples of Karnak and Luxor and on the west bank of the Nile lies the great necropolis, or "City of the Dead". We cross the Nile on the morning of Sunday, April 6 to visit the necropolis. In the Valley of the King we visit the funerary temples of Ramses VI and Sethi I, as well as that of Tutankhamen (in which it will not be possible to make pictures). We then go to Deir el-Bahari to see the funerary temple of Queen Hatshepsut. Later, in the Valley of the Queens, we visit the tomb of a son of Ramses III and finally we stop before the Colossi of Memnon before crossing the Nile to return to our hotel.

We are in the Valley of the Kings where the tombs of most pharaohs of the New Kingdom, from Tuthmosis I to Ramses XI (approximately -1539 to -1075) are located.

Here we are before a fresco in the tomb of Ramses VI. He is the fifth pharaoh of the twentieth dynasty of ancient Egypt. He reigned from -1145 to -1137 approximately.

Fresco in the tomb of Ramses VI.

Fresco in the tomb of Ramses VI.

Fresco in the tomb of Ramses VI.

Fresco in the tomb of Ramses VI.

Fresco in the tomb of Ramses VI.

Fresco in the tomb of Ramses VI.

Here we are before a fresco in the tomb of Sethi I. He is a pharaoh of the XIXth dynasty, who reigned from -1294 to -1279. Son of Pharaoh Ramses I, he is the father of Pharaoh Ramses II.

Fresco inside the tomb of Sethi I..

Fresco inside the tomb of Sethi I.

Fresco inside the tomb of Sethi I.

Back to sunlight, Marie-France and our guide.

In a neighboring village, two craftsmen make souvenirs for tourists. The one on the right digs a piece of alabaster, partly buried in the ground, to make a vase.

General view of the village.

We are now in front of the funerary complex of Deir el-Bahari where we visit the palace of Queen Hatshepsut (XVIIIth dynasty, New Kingdom, she reigned from -1479 to -1457).

The Palace of Queen Hatshepsut.

Fresco in the palace of Queen Hatshepsut.

Columns and statues in the palace of Queen Hatshepsut.

In the palace of Queen Hatshepsut.

Fresco in the palace of Queen Hatshepsut.

We are now in the valley of the Queens. It is the necropolis of royal wives, daughters, sometimes sons of the kings of the nineteenth and twentieth dynasties.

We are now in front of a fresco in the tomb of one of the sons of Ramses III.

Fresco in the tomb of the son of Ramses III.

Fresco in the tomb of the son of Ramses III.

Before crossing the Nile to return to our hotel, we stop in front of the Colossi of Memnon. These two monolithic sculptures represent the pharaoh Amenhotep III. The left statue with its pedestal, half buried, is 17 meters high and has a mass of 1305 tons. These two statues stood on the forecourt of the temple of the millions of years of Amenhotep III.

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