The
Valley of the Kings ( ), the
Valley of the Gates of the Kings ( ), is a
valley in
Egypt where, for a period of nearly 500 years from the 16th to 11th century BC,
tombs were constructed for the
Pharaohs and powerful nobles of the New Kingdom (the
Eighteenth to the
Twentieth Dynasties of
Ancient Egypt). The valley stands on the west bank of the
Nile, opposite
Thebes (modern
Luxor), within the heart of the
Theban Necropolis. The
wadi consists of two valleys, East Valley (where the majority of the royal tombs are situated) and West Valley.