Valley of the Kings
Egypt tests your patience. Our Uber driver tried to charge us £900 for
a £130 ride. We ditched him, took the ferry, and found a taxi for a
tenth of the price. Victory.
After a bit of a circus to get there, we finally arrived at the Valley of
the Kings, a site that feels like stepping into a living history book.
This extraordinary necropolis served as the final resting place for the
pharaohs of the New Kingdom from 1550 to 1070 BCE, and it exudes
an aura of mystery and reverence. Here, powerful rulers such as
Tutankhamun, Ramses II, Seti I, and Thutmose III were laid to rest,
their tombs intricately carved deep into the limestone cliffs, hidden
from view to thwart potential looters.
We skipped Tutankhamun’s tomb due to budget constraints and déjà
vu—but the others were no less magical. Here, the dead were guided
through the afterlife by sacred texts and celestial maps. It felt like
walking through a dream of death and rebirth.