Valley of the Queens
| Valley of the Queens in hieroglyphs | ||||||||
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Ta-set-neferu T3-st-nfrw The place of beauty |
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Coordinates: 25°43′39″N 32°35′35″E / 25.72750°N 32.59306°E
The Valley of the Queens (Arabic: وادي الملكات Wādī al Malekāt) is a place in Egypt where wives of Pharaohs were buried in ancient times. In ancient times, it was known as Ta-Set-Neferu, meaning –"the place of beauty".
Using the limits as described by Christian Leblanc, the Valley of the Queens consists of the main wadi which contains most of the tombs, as well as the Valley of Prince Ahmose, the Valley of the Rope, the Valley of the Three Pits, and the Valley of the Dolmen. The main wadi contains 91 tombs and the subsidiary valleys add another 19 tombs. The burials in the subsidiary valleys all date to the 18th dynasty.
The reason for choosing the Valley of the Queens as a burial site is not known. The location in close proximity to the worker's village in Deir el-Medina and the Valley of the Kings may have been a factor. Another consideration may be the existence of a sacred grotto dedicated to Hathor at the entrance of the Valley. This grotto may be associated with rejuvenation for the dead.
One of the first tombs to be made in the Valley of the Queens is the tomb of Princess Ahmose, a daughter of Seqenenre Tao and Queen Sitdjehuti. This tomb likely dates to the reign of Thutmose I. The tomb from this period also include several members of the nobility, including a head of the stables and a Vizier.
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