Around the start of the New Kingdom, Thebes became Egypt’s main power center. Kings began favoring hidden, rock-cut tombs in the Theban cliffs on the west bank (the land linked with the dead), rather than prominent pyramids. This shift set the stage for the Valley of the Kings to become a purpose-built royal cemetery.
A planned workmen’s village, Deir el-Medina, was established to house the specialist crews who cut and decorated royal tombs. Its residents—stonecutters, plasterers, artists, and scribes—helped standardize tomb building over many generations. Records from the village later became a key source for understanding tomb architecture and labor organization.
In the early 18th Dynasty, royal tomb construction began in what is now called the Valley of the Kings. The goal was secrecy: tomb entrances were kept small and often placed to be less visible from the valley floor. These early choices shaped later layouts, security features, and the clustering of tombs in the East Valley.
KV20 is often identified as one of the earliest royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings and is associated with Thutmose I. Its long, curving corridors and deep burial area show experimentation with how to cut a secure, hidden tomb into the bedrock. Later work in the tomb reflects changing plans and repeated use over time.
During Hatshepsut’s reign, KV20 was adapted to accommodate her burial as well as her father’s. Reworking earlier tomb spaces was a practical response to politics, family legitimacy, and the challenges of carving deep chambers in hard rock. This phase also shows how royal funerary complexes could evolve across multiple reigns.
Thutmose III’s tomb (KV34) is an early Valley of the Kings design that helped set patterns for later royal burials. It includes important funerary texts on its walls, including a full version of the Amduat (a guide to the sun god’s night journey, linked to royal rebirth). Its layout and decoration show a growing emphasis on standardized religious programs inside the tomb.
Amenhotep II’s tomb (KV35) was cut with a bent-axis plan and a distinctive burial chamber that influenced later royal designs. Centuries later, it was reused as a hiding place for other royal mummies, showing how tombs could gain new roles in periods of instability. This reuse also helped preserve bodies and objects that might otherwise have been stolen or destroyed.
Seti I’s tomb (KV17) is among the largest and most richly decorated in the Valley of the Kings. Its extensive scenes and texts across corridors and chambers show how royal tombs became full religious environments, not just burial places. The tomb’s scale and finish influenced expectations for later royal funerary architecture.
In the 20th Dynasty, tomb layouts tended to simplify into long, straight axes with large, decorated corridors. KV9, begun for Ramesses V and later reused by Ramesses VI, is a clear example of this Ramesside approach. Its construction activity also affected the valley landscape, contributing to later burial and preservation patterns nearby.
By the late New Kingdom, economic stress and weak central control contributed to widespread tomb robberies. The Abbott Papyrus documents official inspections and investigations into thefts in the Theban necropolis, including royal tombs. These records show that architectural concealment and sealing systems were no longer enough to protect burials.
By the end of the 20th Dynasty, the Valley of the Kings stopped functioning as the main place for new royal burials. Political fragmentation and persistent looting made large-scale royal tomb programs difficult to sustain. Later officials focused more on protecting or relocating existing royal remains than on building new tombs.
Giovanni Belzoni’s 1817 clearing of Seti I’s tomb (KV17) drew major European attention to the Valley of the Kings. The tomb’s size and decoration made it a landmark for early documentation, collecting, and debate over excavation methods. This moment helped shift the valley from a little-known necropolis to a central site in Egyptology.
In the 21st Dynasty, priests moved many royal mummies into protected caches to safeguard them from robbers. One major cache, later known as TT320 (DB320), became publicly known in 1881, revealing the scale of these rescue efforts. The cache reshaped modern understanding of how New Kingdom kings were reburied and preserved.
In 1898, Victor Loret located important royal tombs including KV34 (Thutmose III) and KV35 (Amenhotep II). These finds expanded the known range of early Valley tomb designs and wall-text programs. They also highlighted how many tombs had been lost, reused, or hidden by debris over time.
Howard Carter’s early-1900s work in KV20 helped clarify the tomb’s unusual curving plan and deep chambers. Systematic clearance and recording made it easier to compare early royal tomb experiments with later standardized layouts. This kind of documentation became essential for conservation and for understanding how tomb plans developed across dynasties.
On November 4, 1922, Howard Carter’s team discovered the entrance to Tutankhamun’s tomb (KV62). Because it survived relatively intact compared with most royal burials, it provided unmatched evidence for New Kingdom funerary objects and burial practices. The discovery also made the Valley of the Kings a global symbol of ancient Egyptian royal tomb architecture and ritual.
Starting in 1978, the Theban Mapping Project began systematically mapping and documenting tombs in the Valley of the Kings. Its work supported clearer architectural comparisons, better conservation planning, and more consistent public information. This marks a modern end point where research and preservation increasingly shape how the royal tomb complexes are understood and protected.
In 1979, UNESCO listed “Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis,” including the Valley of the Kings, as a World Heritage site. This recognition emphasized both the site’s cultural importance and the need for long-term protection. It also strengthened an international framework for conservation, research, and visitor management.
Royal Tombs of the Valley of the Kings: architecture and funerary complexes (New Kingdom, c. 1550–1070 BCE)