Explore the Tomb of Ramesses II
A guided tour
We're standing in front of the final resting place of the legendary Pharaoh, Ramesses II.
Ramesses II is often regarded as the most powerful Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. You may have heard of him as Ramesses the Great or Ozymandias.
His enormous tomb was built here in the Valley of the Kings next to other pharaohs.
We're on the West Bank of the Nile in the Valley of the Kings outside the modern-day city of Luxor.
Nearby are the tombs for the Pharaohs Tutankhamun and Ramesses VI.
The layout for the tomb follows an earlier 'bent-axis' style of the Eighteenth Dynasty in Ancient Egypt.
This is significant because Ramesses II ruled during hte Nineteenth Dynasty.
This meant that the tomb follows a long descending corridor down to a 90 degree turn to the right at the end.
You can see wall carvings and paintings throughout the tomb that are currently being conserved and studied by the Egyptian Mission.
The tomb has attracted incredible attention throughout the last 3,200 years since it was constructed.
As a result, there have been many robberies of the tomb after the burial of the Pharaoh here.
Additionally, the tomb has been damaged by flash floods that periodically occur in the valley.
Originally, these walls were elaborately carved and painted, and the Egyptian mission is studying this today.
Photograph of the descending tomb passageway and wallpaintings in the Tomb of Ramesses VI.
The researchers have been meticulously working to clean and conserve these hieroglpyhs so that they may be documented.
These texts are able to be drawn and translated in their entirety for the first time since the original burial.
Miscellaneous fragments from the Opet Register at Luxor Temple, drawing by Chicago House.
Ramesses II is well-known for building cities, temples, and other monuments.
He created a major addition to Luxor Temple, expanding on the work of Amenhotep III.
Statues of Ramesses II at Luxor Temple. Visit it virtually next!
The wife of Ramesses II was the famous Queen Nefertari.
Her beautifully decorated and preserved tomb is nearby in the Valley of the Queens.
Photograph of the Tomb of Nefertari nearby.
This is the well-shaft dug to protect the tomb from the flash floods in the valley.
The water would pool here instead of entering the lower tomb, but unfortunately, there were enough floods that this was filled with debris.
Unlike the well-shafts in other tombs, this was carved painted with decorations.
Perhaps this had some greater religious or symbolic meaning that researchers are studying today.
On the other side of the well-shaft is the pillared chamber that we see here.
The wall have scenes depicting offerings being brought and rituals being performed for the Pharaoh.
Photograph of the interior of Ramesses III nearby in the valley with its original painting.
If you look closely, you can see that the entire tomb was decorated twice.
There are wall carvings first and then these were covered with plaster and repainted with new decorations.
Thankfully many of the scenes can be interpreted from their fragments.
The tomb contains scenes from the Book of Gates, the Book of the Dead, Book of the Heavenly Cow, and others.
Photograph of a scene from the Book of Gates from the nearby tomb of Merneptah.
The tomb is unique because it features many unusual side chambers as well.
You can see the ongoing conservation efforts to restore these chambers by the Egyptian Mission here.
Unfortunately the tomb has suffered in modern times from some 'collectors' or treasure hunters as well.
In the 19th the British Consul General in Egypt was shown the tomb by local guides and decided that he wanted to dig into it, seeking treasure.
When the Consul didn't find treasure, he became convinced that there must be hidden chambers.
He used blasting with gunpowder to dig into the bottom of the chamber here.
This is another tunnel started into the side of the tomb by treasure hunters to look for hidden chambers.
Many of these collectors took back the artifacts that they found to their countries where they remain in museums today.
Image of the Rosetta Stone at the British Museum that was obtained under controversial methods.
Down this hallway is the burial chamber.
You can see some of the fragments artifacts that were discovered in the tomb when it was excavated and documented.
Only a few remaining artifacts from the burial were found.
These include wooden shabtis and fragments of statues, faience, and other vessels--many of which were left by early tourists from the Roman Era.
Four ushabtis of Khabekhnet and their box from 1279–1213 BC.
You can see the extent of the rubble that was washed in through floods on the left.
This whole chamber was filled with debris before the modern excavations by archaeologists.
We've reached the burial chamber of the tomb. Ramesses II was laid to rest as a mummy here.
He may have been buried in many nested coffins, a sarcophagus, and other richly-decorated shrines, similar to nearby tombs.
Images of the stacked shrines and sarcophagus discovered in the nearby Tomb of Tutankhamun.
When the Consul found this burial chamber emptied of any treasure, didn't excavate or conserve the area.
The ceiling was collapsing, so he drilled the holes and put in long bolts you see here to keep it suspended.
Around the burial chamber, we can see the fragments of the original inscriptions that the Pharaoh was buried with.
Researchers now have identified passages from the Book of Gates and Amduat, the Book of the Secret Chamber.
Photograph of scenes from Amduat in the nearby Tomb KV 35.
The mummy of Ramesses II was removed by priests after the tomb had been robbed and relocated several times.
It was eventually found in an unmarked wooden coffin and taken to the Grand Egyptian Museum where you can see it today.
Photograph of the mummy of Ramesses II in the Grand Egyptian Museum.
Thank you for visiting the Tomb of Ramesses II.
Continue exploring the USA Grand Lecture Tour by Doctor Zahi Hawass and support the Egyptian Missions.
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