Ancient site · Luxor
Nefertari Tomb
The tomb of Queen Nefertari in the Valley of the Queens, its walls adorned with painted scenes among the most exquisite of ancient Egypt.
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The story
The tomb, known as QV66, belongs to Nefertari, Great Wife of Pharaoh Ramesses II, and lies in the Valley of the Queens. It was discovered in 1904 by Ernesto Schiaparelli, director of the Egyptian Museum in Turin. Nefertari, whose name means "the most beautiful among them", was Ramesses II's favourite wife, and he raised the Temple of Hathor at Abu Simbel in her honour. Although the tomb was looted and its contents lost, its wall paintings survive, celebrating the queen's beauty and charting her journey through the afterlife in red, blue, yellow and green.
Good to know
- The tomb was discovered in 1904 by Ernesto Schiaparelli, director of the Egyptian Museum in Turin.
- Nefertari's name means "the most beautiful among them", and Ramesses II built her a temple at Abu Simbel.
- The wall paintings chart the queen's journey to the afterlife in red, blue, yellow and green.