Nestled on Luxor’s west bank, the Valley of the Kings served as the New Kingdom necropolis where pharaohs’ tombs—lavishly decorated and hidden in rock—preserved funerary texts and priceless grave goods.

Hatshepsut, one of Egypt’s few female pharaohs, built an elegant terraced mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahari. Her reign emphasized trade, monumental architecture, and a peaceful prosperity.

The Colossi of Memnon are two colossal quartzite statues of Amenhotep III that guarded his mortuary complex. They have stood since the 14th century BCE, awe-inspiring visitors for millennia.