The Tombs of the Nobles at Luxor

Due to the richness of the Luxor city monuments, especially the scenes of the historical site situated on the West Bank of the River Nile, many remarkable monuments are rather far less visited by tourists spending their vacation in Egypt. One of these tours had to be for the monuments of the Tomb of the Nobles.

Although this wonderful ancient necropolis with its marvelous wall paintings demonstrates almost all the aspects of life in ancient Egypt, many of the travelers miss it during their tours in Egypt.

This necropolis will guide you to more 500 private tombs of the nobles and high officials of ancient Egypt during the reign of the New Kingdom and the Middle Kingdom mainly from the 18th to the 20th centuries BC.

Where the Tombs of the Nobles are Located

Situated in the middle between the Valley of the Kings site to the North and the Valley of the Queens site to the North, The Tombs of the Nobles can easily be reached by any taxi in the West Bank of Luxor.

Many travelers spending their tours in Egypt can ask their travel company to add a visit to the Tombs of the Nobles site during their tours in Luxor as almost all travel packages usually exclude the Tombs of the Nobles from their itineraries.

The Story of Building the Tombs of the Nobles

It is simply a fact of life, even until today, that all people would rather be near the kings and the royal family of the country. This was why exactly happened in the Tombs of the Nobles as the military chiefs, nobles, and high officials desired to be buried near to the royal family in the West Bank of Luxor.

There is little that we know about the establishment of the tombs of the nobles. Historians failed to estimate the beginning of the burial rituals in that ancient necropolis. However, almost all of them assert that it was during the 18th century that the nobles started digging themselves these small tombs near the Valley of the Kings in the West Bank of Luxor.

The Tombs of the Nobles Structure

The Tombs of the Nobles Egypt are today divided into different sections in various places around the West Bank of Luxor. A number of tourists having tours in Egypt, especially those who love to visit historical sites that only a few numbers of people visited, explore the tombs of the nobles site in Luxor.

The first section of the tombs of the nobles is located in the north in the entrance to this valley guide to the famous historical necropolis of the Valley of the Kings. This area hosts the necropolises of Dar Abu El Naga and El Tarif with remarkable tombs dating back to the 18th century BC.

Near the marvelous mortuary  Temple of Hatshepsut , there are the ancient necropolises named as El Khokha and El Asasif. They host many tombs from the 18th and 19th centuries. This is besides the remarkable 25th dynasty and 26th dynasty large tombs that are situated there.

In fact, the largest and most important section of the Tombs of Noble’s site is that area named Abdel Qurna that is located inside a mountain near the Ramesseum, the mortuary temple of the royal Ramses II. This necropolis has many tombs that mainly belong to the 18th dynasty and they are featured with their amazing colorful wall paintings that are well preserved until today.

Mainly the structure of the tombs was rather quite simple in comparison to the complex structure of the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens situated nearby.

The structure consists of two sections decorated in a special way; the first is the cult chapel while the second was the burial chamber. The cult chapel opens to a vestibule that opens towards a courtyard forming the shape of the letter, (T). The burial chamber can be reached through a cut into the wall of the cult chapel.

The Most Recommended Tombs to Visit

As the tombs of the nobles include about 500 tombs we will guide you to the most famous and interesting tombs that you can visit during your tours in Luxor.

Nakht Tomb

Among the most interesting tombs to be explored in the Tombs of the Nobles in Luxor is that of Nakht who worked in the field of astronomy during the reign of Tuthomose VI in the 6th dynasty. This tomb is situated in the Abdel Qurna Section. It is decorated with its extensive decoration and bright colors.

Mena Tomb

Another magnificent example of the tombs would be that of Mena who also lived during the ruling period of Tuthomose VI that is famous for its wonderful rural scenes. The two tombs of Menna and Nakht are actually located near each other’s and they are quite similar in many aspects.

The tomb of Menna is decorated with its remarkable walls paintings of the deceased supervising the agriculture work scenes in the royal fields.

Ahmos Tomb

A different example of the noble tombs of Luxor would be that of Ahmos who lived during the reign time of king Amenophis IV and the tomb is famous for its bas-reliefs.

The tomb of Ahmos is factually the largest tomb in the whole ancient necropolis of the Tombs of the Nobles in Luxor. This was due to the fact that Ahmos was the Vizier of the king and his tomb had to be relatively large to reflect his high position in the kingdom.

Sennfer & Rekhmire Tombs

Other great examples of the tombs of the Nobles of Luxor would include the tomb of Sennfer; the mayor of Thebes in the ruling time of king Amenhotep II and it is one of the best-preserved tombs in the area.

This is besides the tomb of Rekhmire, a vizier during the reigns of kings Tuthmosis III and Amenhotep II that is featured with wonderful wall paintings.

Tourists spending their tours in Egypt should always pay attention to which sites they would like to explore in the land of the Nile. Travelers can book a tour where they have the major sites included and then add the optional tours to any historical sites they wish to visit afterward like the Tombs of the Nobles.