Across the West Bank in Luxor and next to the world famous Valley of the Kings, is the less known Valley of the Queens which has it’s own unique history and architecture. The main attraction is the Temple of Hatshepsut who was the only female Pharaoh in Pharaonic history.
Directions:
A one hour flight from Cairo, 3 hours by road from the Red Sea resort of Hurghada, and 3 hours by road from Aswan, Luxor is easily accessible by many transport links including trains between Cairo and Aswan.
History:
In ancient times the Valley of the Queens was called ‘Ta Set Neferu’, a phrase that meant a place of beauty and the place of royal children and wives
The Valley of the Queens is something of a misnomer as it also contains the tombs of high officials (who were interred here long before the first Queen was buried in this valley during the XIX Dynasty) and royal children. Princes were educated by priests and scribes, taught swimming, riding and shooting by officers, and finally apprenticed to military commands around the age of 12. Less is known about the schooling of princesses, but several queens were evidently well versed in statecraft and architecture.