Valley of the Kings, also called Valley of the Tombs of the Kings is long narrow defile just west of the Nile River in Upper Egypt. It was part of the ancient city of Thebes and was the burial site of almost all the pharaohs from Thutmose I to Ramses X. In spite of it is one of Egypt’s most visited attractions general photography by tourists is banned within the tombs.

The burial chamber inside the tomb of Ay, the penultimate king of Egypt 18th dynasty and the predecessor to King Tutankhamun

Jakub Kyncl, Czech journalist and photographer managed to get special permission to capture the interior of the tombs, as well as the Abu Simbel complex, earlier this year. Here we get a rare look inside the historic site with some of the highlights from his shoot.

The exit of Queen Tausert's tomb, guarded by two paintings of the god of death Anubis

The tomb area of Queen Tausert

The walkway of the tomb of Ramesses VI towards the main chamber

The photographer admits that these incredible views of the tombs were something quite accessible to European tourists around 10 or so years ago, but unfortunately not any more. He is doing lectures about the Nile Valley to school children trying to show them unique treasures of antiquity as this destination is not a “must go” any more because of unclear situation in the country.

The tomb of Ramses VI

The main chamber with the sarcophagus in the tomb of Ramesses VI

The tomb of Ramesses VI

Art in the tomb area of Horemheb

Vibrant wall art within the tomb of Horemheb, the last Pharoah of the 18th dynasty

The tomb area of Horemheb

All Images © Jakub Kyncl

source:telegraph