Valley of Kings

Where pharaohs were buried with wine for the afterlife. Tutankhamun's tomb contained wine jars labeled by vintage, vineyard, and winemaker — the world's first wine labels. Drink wine where pharaohs drank.

What to do there

5 things to do

1. 1 Arrive at Dawn and Decode the Scale of the World's Greatest Necropolis History · Free

   The Valley of the Kings is not what it looks like from a postcard. From ground level at 6am, before the tour buses arrive, you understand something the photographs can't convey: this is a 500-year construction project. Sixty-three royal tombs cut into one limestone valley — and this was all built on a bet that wine, food, and gold could accompany a soul into eternity.

   The Egyptians chose this specific valley for one reason: the pyramid-shaped peak above it — the al-Qurn — which they called the 'Peak of the West' and associated with the goddess Meretseger. Every pharaoh from Thutmose I (1504 BC) to Ramesses XI (1069 BC) — nearly 500 years of rulers — chose to be buried in the shadow of this natural pyramid at the entrance forecourt of the Valley of the Kings, just past the main gates. Tutankhamun is in there. Howard Carter, on November 26, 1922, peered through a tiny hole in a doorway and Lord Carnarvon asked 'Can you see anything?' Carter said: 'Yes, wonderful things.' Inside were 26 wine jars labeled with vintage, vineyard, and winemaker name — including three in the actual burial chamber placed to sustain a dead king for eternity. Arrive at the gates at exactly 6am when they open — this is non-negotiable. Walk to the central forecourt before buying tickets, face the valley and turn slowly to take in the full amphitheater of limestone cliffs. Buy your main Valley ticket (750 EGP, includes 3 tombs from the standard list). Separately purchase the Tutankhamun KV62 ticket (700 EGP) — this must be done at the ticket office before you enter. Tram to tomb area costs 20 EGP round trip.

   Backup: If the valley feels overwhelming with groups already present, walk the perimeter path toward the far end (KV2, Ramesses IV) where crowds thin early in the morning.

   Log Memory
2. 2 Read the World's Oldest Wine Labels — Inscribed on Jars in Tutankhamun's Burial Chamber Wine · Price: high

   Three wine jars sat in Tutankhamun's burial chamber for 3,266 years before Howard Carter found them. Each one has the winemaker's name stamped into the clay. Khaa. Sennufe. Rer. They were working in 1343 BC. This is the most precise wine labeling system from the ancient world — vintage year, vineyard estate, winemaker name, wine style, quality grade. Your Burgundy label has nothing on this.

   Three wine jars placed in the burial chamber itself — the most sacred room — tell the story that settled a 2,000-year argument. They read, in ancient Egyptian stamped into wet clay: 'Year 5, wine of the Estate of Tutankhamun, Ruler of Thebes, in the Western River, chief vintner Khaa.' And: 'Year 9, wine of the Estate of Aten in the Western River, chief vintner Sennufe.' The third — most prestigious: 'Year 5, very good shedeh of the Estate of Aten in the Western River, chief vintner Rer.' In 2005, University of Barcelona researchers analyzed residue from one of these exact jars and found malvidin-3-glucoside — a red grape compound. Tutankhamun's own tomb (KV62, approximately 200m from the main tram drop-off point) settled the debate: Shedeh was red wine. The walls are bright yellow — hastily painted by priests who had to complete a young king's tomb in 70 days. Photography is completely banned inside KV62 — put your phone away before you descend. Stand in the burial chamber and remember: Chief Vintner Khaa harvested the grapes that went into six of those 26 jars. He had a name, worked on an estate called 'The Western River,' sealed those jars in 1347 BC and his name survived 3,300 years inside a pharaoh's tomb. The actual mummy of Tutankhamun is still here in a climate-controlled glass case — the only pharaoh whose remains are still displayed in the Valley.

   Backup: If the KV62 ticket (700 EGP) feels expensive, visit KV9 (Ramesses V and VI, 220 EGP extra) instead — this is the tomb whose entrance rubble kept KV62 hidden for 3,000 years. You'll see exactly why Carter found it last.

   Log Memory
3. 3 Stand Under 3,400 Years of Grapevines in the Tomb of the Mayor of Thebes Wine · Price: low

   Sennefer was the most powerful civilian in the most powerful city on Earth in 1427 BC — Mayor of Thebes, Overseer of the Gardens and Cattle of Amun. He could have chosen anything for the ceiling of his burial chamber. He chose a vineyard. Descend into TT96 and you will stand under the most extraordinary wine room ever painted.

   The burial chamber ceiling is painted in rich greens and purples — grapevines twisting and curling over uneven rock, clusters of ripe grapes hanging above you in the Tomb of Sennefer (TT96), Sheikh Abd el-Qurna, Theban Necropolis. The artist converted irregular rock surface into genius: painted the natural lumps and bumps as a living grapevine arbor, making grape clusters appear three-dimensional. The vines look like they're growing — visitors consistently report the urge to reach up and pick one. Sennefer spent his career overseeing Egypt's granaries, fields, and gardens. In death, he wanted to spend eternity beneath his vines, believing the vineyard ceiling would provide nourishment in the afterlife — forever. This tomb is also called the 'Tomb of the Vineyards.' Buy the combined Sennefer + Rekhmire ticket at the West Bank ticket office near the Nourh El Gourna Hotel (120 EGP combined, 2025 rate). The descent into the burial chamber is steep and the ceiling is LOW — you will stoop. When you reach the burial chamber, lie back and look at the ceiling. You are inside a 3,400-year-old wine cellar. The man who built it ran all of Thebes.

   Backup: If TT96 is temporarily closed for restoration (which happens occasionally), Rekhmire TT100 is right below it and has its own winemaking scene on the north wall — grape-treading, fish preparation, offerings. The combined ticket covers both.

   Log Memory
4. 4 Watch Five Men Tread Grapes in a Painting That Is Still Sharper Than Any Photograph History · Price: low

   Nakht was the Astronomer of Amun — the man who tracked the stars for Egypt's greatest temple. His tomb in the Nobles shows the other side of his world: harvest. The grape-treading scene in TT52 is among the most vivid winemaking images to survive from the ancient world. Five men are working a white stone press. One has grey hair. Another is collecting juice in a jar. This scene is 3,400 years old and it could have been painted last year.

   Five men tread grapes with their feet, holding ropes hung from above for balance — the artist got the physics right in the Tomb of Nakht (TT52), Sheikh Abd el-Qurna. In precise, vivid detail: two men picking grapes (one visibly older, grey-haired), grapes going into a white stone winepress, one man crouching to collect juice flowing into large conical earthenware jars that already have Nakht's official seal. Three thousand four hundred years before AOC law existed, a scribe in Thebes was putting the vineyard owner's mark on the jars. In the same tomb: the Three Musicians scene — three female musicians overlap in a group, the middle figure turns her head toward the rear. This was extraordinary for Egyptian art, which normally showed figures standing rigidly side-by-side. Buy the combined Nakht + Menna + Amenemopet ticket (~60 EGP). Go straight to the upper register on the left when you enter the transverse hall — that's where the grape harvest scene is. Count the men on the winepress, look for the grey-haired picker in the top left, then find the Three Musicians on the south wall where the middle one is turning her head. Opening hours: 6am-5pm.

   Backup: If TT52 is closed, the Tomb of Menna (TT69) is on the same ticket and features similar scenes of agricultural life — harvesting, measuring fields — with equally vivid color.

   Log Memory
5. 5 See the Valley of the Pharaohs From 1,500 Feet at Sunrise — The View the Wine Gods Had Adventure · Price: moderate · Optional

   The priests who built this valley, the vintners who sealed the jars, the artists who painted the grapevines on Sennefer's ceiling — none of them ever saw what you're about to see. A hot air balloon at sunrise over the West Bank is Luxor's great revelation: you understand in an instant why the Egyptians buried their kings here. The pyramid-shaped peak presides over 63 tombs. The Nile curves through a million green fields below.

   Sunrise flight reaches up to 1,500 feet (450 meters) and rotates slowly to give 360-degree panoramic views of the Valley of the Kings directly below, departing from the West Bank of the Nile before dawn (4am-5am pickup depending on season). You will see: the pyramid-peak of al-Qurn (the sacred mountain the pharaohs chose this valley for), the Temple of Hatshepsut carved into the cliffs, the green agricultural strip of the Nile, and Karnak Temple visible across the river on the east bank. This flight is approximately $65 USD — one of the cheapest hot air balloon experiences in the world, in a setting no other place on Earth can match. Companies include Sindbad Balloons, Sunrise Ballooning Luxor, King Tut Balloons, and HodHod Soliman. Flight lasts 45-60 minutes. Tea or coffee is served on landing. Book at least 24-48 hours in advance (earlier in peak season, Oct-Apr). Wear layers — desert air at 1,500 feet before dawn is cold even in Egypt. You'll be back on the ground before 8am with the entire day ahead for the tombs.

   Backup: If weather grounds balloons (rare but happens with wind), ask your hotel for a West Bank sunrise hire with a driver — arriving at the Valley of the Kings when the gates open at 6am, before the tour groups, has its own specific magic. The silence in the valley at first light is something the Egyptians understood: the dead preferred mornings.

   Log Memory