Abu Simbel and Nefertari's Burial Chamber (QV66)

I thought today it would be kind of cool to take a look at some of the most beautiful sights in Egypt. Ever since I first heard about Nefertari I was taken by her story and the beauty of her monuments. The paintings in her tomb are some of the most well preserved Ancient Egyptian works of art.

Abu Simbel

Abu Simbel is the monument erected by Pharaoh Ramesses II to commemorate himself and his queen Nefertari. The small temple is dedicated to Nefertari and the goddess Hathor. The most interesting fact is that the statues of Ramesses and Nefertari are shown to be the same height - something that almost never happened. This temple fell into disuse and was almost completely covered with sand until its rediscovery in 1817. The temple was relocated between 1964-1968 to a higher cliff to avoid being flooded by the waters from the Aswan Dam. Here is a little, funny video showing a tour of the temple.



QV66

QV66 is the funerary temple for Nefertari. Her tomb is located at the bottom of the North Side of the Valley of the Queens. The paintings in this tomb are some of the most beautiful of all Egyptian art. The scenes represent chapters from the Book of the Dead as well as Nefertari's life and death. Poetry was written on the walls by Ramesses himself. Her tomb was rediscovered in 1904 but the tomb had already been raided and the body was missing - only pieces were found. For many years the tomb was closed to visitors because of the damage to the artwork, but they have underwent a major restoration effort and are now again open to the public. You can take a tour of her tomb at this site.






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