Author Description

Over 3,000 years ago the ancient Egyptians created some of the finest monuments the world has ever seen. The Great Pyramid, the largest stone building on Earth. The Valley of the Kings, underground tombs holding the treasure of the Pharaohs. The Valley of the Kings The kings of ancient Egypt were no mere mortals, they were Gods incarnate, and the ancient Egyptians cared more for the burial of their kings than any other nation that has existed. 3,500 years ago they began to build the most revered cemetery on Earth. The Valley of the Kings is the most magnificent burial ground in the world. Sixty two tombs, cut deep into the rock, overflowing with the treasures of ancient Egypt. Pharaohs like Tutankhamun and Ramesses the Great were laid to rest here. The oldest tomb in the valley belonged to King Tutmos 1st and dates back to the 16th century B.C. Most of the tombs in the valley are unfinished, the work being cut short by the king's death. However, the tomb of Seti 1st is virtually complete. It was unearthed by Giovanni Battista Belzoni in 1817 who was fortunate enough to chance upon the longest and deepest of all the tombs. Hatshepsut's Temple Queen Hatshepsut's Temple 6. Queen Hatshepsut's Temple Built over the hillside from the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut is the most impressive monument of western Thebes. Hatshepsut's futuristic temple is packed with revolutionary features, a fitting memory to one of Egypt's most innovative pharaohs. The eldest daughter of Tutmos I, her young stepson became pharaoh, Tutmos III. Worried that the boy might lose control, she appointed herself co-regent and later King. Unlike Cleopatra and Nefertiti, little is known about Hatshepsut. She set out to finish what her husband had started, under her control it would take fifteen years to complete the greatest architectural achievement of her dynasty. Site Navigation 100 Years, the Broo Aberfan Disaster Amelia Earhart An Anarchist's Story Ancient Wonders Archie McLean