8 Best Sights in Luxor and the Nile Valley, Egypt

This magnificent cemetery site is on the East Bank of the Nile. Beni Hasan is generally approached from the West Bank by ferry, which shows the site to its best advantage: a narrow, vibrant strip of green bordering the river that suddenly ends in dramatically sloping limestone cliffs that stand out starkly against an intense blue sky. Tombs (39) of local rulers that date to the Middle Kingdom (c. 2040–1640 BC) pierce the cliffs. Generally only four or five are open to visitors at any time.

On the climb up the stairs, you pass shaft tombs (closed) for the less important people. The tombs of the wealthy and more important folk are in the upper portions of the cliff. There are three basic tomb types on the cliff, aside from the shaft tombs. The first has a plain facade and is single-chambered (11th Dynasty); the second (11th and 12th Dynasties) is plain on the outside, but its chamber is columned; and the third type (12th Dynasty) has a portico in front and a columned chamber.

You can never be sure of which tombs will be open, but the ones listed here usually are accessible. The lighting in the tombs varies greatly, so bring a flashlight. A café at the base of the cliff offers cold drinks, but you should bring your own packed lunch.

Tomb of Amenemhat (No. 2), 12th Dynasty. Not only was the tomb owner a nomarch, or governor, but he also was the military commander in chief of the area. This tomb has some entertaining scenes of musicians, knife makers, and leather workers, in addition to the usual daily-life scenes.

Tomb of Bakht III (No. 15), 11th Dynasty. Built for a governor of the Oryx Nome, this tomb contains seven shafts, which suggests that members of his family were buried with him. The wall paintings show hunting in the marshes and desert, weavers, counting livestock, potters, metalworkers, wrestlers, and offerings bearers. The desert hunt scenes are particularly interesting because they show some very bizarre mythological animals.

Tomb of Kheti (No. 17), 11th Dynasty. Kheti was the governor of the Oryx Nome. Scenes on the walls show hunting, offerings, daily activities, and the wrestlers that are typical of Beni Hasan. An attack on a fortress is also depicted.

Tomb of Khnumhotep (No. 3), 12th Dynasty. This large tomb, entered between two proto-Doric columns, belonged to Khnumhotep, a governor of the Oryx Nome as well as a prince. It is famous for its hunt scenes and depictions of foreign visitors to Egypt. Carved in the back wall is a statue of the deceased, and the color of the paintings is much better preserved in this tomb than in any of the others.

In its own small valley, Deir el-Medina is where the artisans in charge of building and decorating the royal tombs lived. The site includes the stone walls of their otherwise ruined houses, small but vibrantly decorated tombs, and a small temple. The workers showed off their skills in their own burial chambers, applying the technical and artistic mastery they used on their employers' projects to their own.

Claustrophobes beware: these tombs are much more compact than the royal tombs and have low ceilings that some people will not be able to stand upright in. They're also accessed by incredibly steep staircases and narrow corridors.

One of the most astonishing burial spaces in this area is the Tomb of Sennutem (TT 1), who was an artist during the reigns of Seti I and Ramses II. The paintings on the walls of the burial chamber look as if they were just completed. A striking scene is the god Anubis tending to a mummy on a lion-headed bed surrounded by texts from the Book of the Dead. On the ceilings are several depictions of the deceased, kneeling in adoration before the gods.

The Tomb of Inherkha (TT 359) has beautifully painted ceilings of a repeating cow head and sun disk motif, as well as scenes from the Book of the Dead and the Book of the Gates. Inherkha was chief workman for Ramses III and Ramses IV, and he's shown making offerings to rows of seated pharaohs.

The Family Tomb is the most complex of the group and consists of three connected chambers for Amennakht (TT 218) and his two sons Nebenmaat (TT 219) and Khaemteri (TT 220). Popping out from the lemon yellow background are mummified figures, larger-than-life birds, palm trees, and column after column of text. The chamber for Nebenmaat is incredible to behold: the unusual monochromatic hieroglyphic script is just as eye-catching as the colorfully painted gods.

A five-minute walk to the northeast is the Temple of Deir el-Medina, dedicated to a plethora of gods, including Hathor and Maat. The temple was founded during the reign of Amenhotep III (18th Dynasty), but the current structure dates from more than 1,100 years later, from the reign of Ptolemy IV. Coptic Christians later turned the temple into a monastery, which gave this place its name (Deir el-Medina means "Monastery of the City"). Look out for the judgement scene of a heart being weighed against Maat's feather of truth and justice. If the heart is heavier, it has committed bad deeds during its time on earth and will not go on to enjoy the afterlife.

Just northwest of the town of El-Kab are several rock-cut tombs from different dynastic periods. The walls of the Tomb of Ahmose, Son of Ibana, tell a biographical story emphasizing the military campaigns of the owner, when he was an admiral in the ancient Egyptian navy. Look out for the hieroglyph of a chariot, the earliest surviving depiction in this script. The space was likely used as a chapel to remember the deceased and not an actual tomb where the body was kept. It was left unfinished, and you can see the red grid lines that the painters used to plan and design the scenes.

In the Tomb of Renni, who was a provincial governor and high priest during the reign of Amenhotep I (1541–1520 BC), you can admire paintings of the harvest, family banquets, and checkerboard-patterned ceilings. At the back of the tomb is a niche that once held a statue but is now nearly destroyed.

The grandson of Ahmose, the naval commander buried nearby, Paheri had his tomb decorated with scenes of his work as a scribe and regional governor, counting livestock, receiving tributes of gold, and supervising the wine harvest.

The Tomb of Setau, a high priest during the reign of Ramses III (1186–1155 BC), is heavily damaged, but its walls are decorated with a few interesting scenes of celebrations for the pharaoh's 30th year on the throne and the goddess Nekhbet (considered the protector of El-Kab) in her sacred boat guarded by a vulture while sailing down the Nile.

Nakht was a scribe and astronomer under Thutmose IV, and his T-shaped tomb (TT 52) is somewhat small. Only the vestibule is decorated with vivid colors, but they show incredibly detailed scenes of Nakht hunting, fishing, and farming. To the right is a false door with a beautiful painting of eight men and two women presenting offerings.

The Tomb of Menna (TT 69) has colorful paintings of his family, including his wife and five children. Menna was a scribe and overseer of fields, and he's supervising a farm for eternity on one of the walls. Overhead, a patch of painted patterned ceiling is particularly vibrant. Most of the corridor is now inaccessible to visitors, but from a distant angle, you can admire the well-preserved colorful roof and see funerary scenes, such as the Opening of the Mouth ceremony and Weighing of the Heart.

Much has been damaged in the Tomb of Amenemope (TT 148), partly because of the poor quality of the stone in this area. But the quality of the decor for Amenemope, a priest under successive generations of Ramses, is high, and the walls of painted reliefs—not just flat paint on the wall—are rare and indicative of his stature.

The Tomb of Ramose (TT 55) is one of the finest in the area. Ramose was a governor of Thebes and vizier during the reign of Amenhotep III and Akhenaten. It's so large that it has a hypostyle hall, a pillared hall, and a chapel, though some of the columns are modern reconstructions. Near the entrance are unpainted reliefs, but look out for Ramose and his wife, whose eyes and eyebrows are outlined in black, the only pigment on the entire wall. The left wall has two registers painted, one in good condition, and the scene shows a dozen crying women. Near the entrance to the pillared hall is a carving of the Aten sun disk, the sole god worshipped in new monotheistic religion started by Akhenaten that lasted only 20 years. The tomb was left unfinished.

In life, Userhet worked as a royal scribe and "Counter of Bread," and his tomb (TT 56) is in an inverted T-style, with a wide antechamber leading to a long, slender burial chamber. Scenes in the antechamber depict Userhet's earthly responsibilities: counting boxes of grain and overseeing the distribution of bread rations to the Egyptian army. The ceilings are painted in a bright rug-weave pattern, and the inner chamber has vivid scenes of Userhet hunting and fishing.

A scribe and Overseer of Granaries under Amenhotep III, Khaemhet had a well-decorated space to send him into the afterlife. His tomb (TT 57) has both raised and sunken reliefs, and scenes depict his life's work of supervising the harvest and measuring grain supplies. Much of the art is damaged, including a pair of statues at the back of the tomb representing Khaemhet and his wife, but it's still an evocative space.

The Tomb of Rekhmire (TT 100), who was a vizier during the reigns of Thutmose III and Amenhotep II, is well preserved, with nearly complete scenes of daily life that reveal much about day-to-day activities of the ancient Egyptians. The walls explain Rekhmire's work duties, including inspecting the construction of temples and tax collection. He also records tributes from foreign countries, and Nubians arrive with leopards, giraffes, and cattle, and the Syrians bring vases, a chariot, horses, a bear, an elephant, and human captives. The paintings inside the chapel reveal how jewelry and sculptures were made and helped archaeologists understand the techniques used at the time.

The Tomb of Sennofer (TT 96) is nicknamed "Tomb of the Vineyards" because the ceiling is painted with swirling grapevines thanks to Sennofer's job as Overseer of Granaries and Gardens. A short but steep walk is required to enter the tomb. Inside you'll see scenes of Sennofer heading to the afterlife with servants carrying his belongings. The burial chamber has colorful paintings of Sennofer and his wife worshipping Anubis and Osiris and Sennofer and his family making a pilgrimage to Abydos where the deceased has his heart weighed to ensure he is worthy of entrance to the afterlife.

Once a burial location for New Kingdom pharaohs known only to a select few, the secret of the Valley of the Kings has long been out. Every year, 1.5 million visitors come to see a rotating selection of the 65 tombs that have been discovered, ranging from the unknown and unexcavated to an underground gallery displaying the pinnacle of art and architecture of ancient Egypt.

The well-publicized, 1922 discovery of Tutanhkamun, Egypt's short-lived "boy king," still draws many visitors, but it's actually one of the least splendid tombs in the valley, completed in a rush because of his untimely death and emptied of its gilded grave goods, which were relocated to Cairo museums. You might not have seen the names of Ramses V and VI (KV 9) or Seti I (KV 17) in your school textbooks, but you'll certainly want to know more after seeing the beauty and detail of the scenes that accompanied them into the afterlife.

The tombs in the Valley of the Kings are some of Egypt's greatest treasures, but their existence is threatened just by visitors coming to see them. The hot temperatures in the valley actually bring in moisture—in the form of sweat and humid breath from tourists—that damages the 3,000-year-old art painted on fragile rock walls and ceilings. Dehumidifiers and glass screens have been installed in some of the busiest underground areas, and guides are not allowed inside any tombs to cut down on crowds.

The Valley of the Queens was the final resting place for pharaohs' wives, royal children, and members of the nobility for nearly 500 years, from the 18th to 20th Dynasties. Archaeologists have discovered more than 90 tombs, but only four are open to the public, clustered together a short walk from the entrance. The undisputed highlight of the Valley of the Queens is standing in awe of the artwork in the incredible Tomb of Nefertari. Don't let the eye-wateringly high price of entry—this is the single most expensive ticket for any tourist attraction in Egypt—prevent you from entering. It's worth noting, though, that most of the other tombs in the Valley of the Queens are less elaborately decorated but also less frequently visited, meaning that you might even have them to yourself.

The Tomb of Nefertari (QV 66), the most beloved of Ramses II's many wives, has the largest tomb in the Valley of the Queens. It also has some of the most vivid surviving decorations of any ancient Egyptian tomb, with paintings covering every wall and the entire ceiling. The tomb is accessed by a staircase that leads into an antechamber, painted with chapters from the Book of the Dead and offering scenes to Anubis, the jackal-headed god of mummification, and Osiris, god of the afterlife. White stars that resemble starfish dot the dark-blue ceiling. Another set of stairs drops down to the column-supported burial room where the sarcophagus and mummy were once located (alas, the tomb was robbed of its many treasures in antiquity). You're allowed just 10 minutes inside the tomb.

The Tomb of Amun-her-Khepshef (QV 55) was built for a son of Ramses III, and the prince died when he was about 15 years old. The tomb has a simple linear design, and the wall paintings maintain their bright and lively colors. Scenes show the pharaoh introducing the prince, as a child with a side-lock of hair, to various gods, and an uninscribed sarcophagus rests in an undecorated burial chamber at the back. The tomb also contains an unusual item inside a glass case: the mummified remains of a fetus (not the prince).

The cruciform Tomb of Titi (QV 52), a queen of the 20th Dynasty, is well preserved. Her family history isn't well known, but it's thought that she might have been a wife of Ramses III and the mother of Amun-her-Khepshef, whose tomb is nearby. The corridor is decorated on both sides with a kneeling winged figure of Maat, the goddess of truth and justice, and the queen standing in front of different deities. In the chamber on the right is a double representation of Hathor, the goddess of motherhood and love, depicted as a sacred cow coming out of the mountain to receive the queen and then as a woman accepting offerings from Titi.

The Tomb of Khaemwaset (QV 44), a prince who was a young son of Ramses III, has fine workmanship and decoration on the walls. The scenes represent the prince, either with his pharaoh father or alone, making offerings to the gods. Hieroglyphic text from the Book of the Dead accompanies the paintings. Look out for the prince wearing a long translucent garment, showing the masterful skill of the ancient painters.