Aerial view of a desert landscape with roads and structures

The principal significance of the Valley of the Queens from the 18th Dynasty (1550–1295 BCE) through the 20th (1295–1080 BCE) was as a burial ground, first for officials and later for royal wives, daughters, and sons. Often anonymous, 18th-Dynasty tombs, with their vertical shaft and chamber design, are without inscription or decoration. While identification of tomb owners has only been possible through archaeological evidence and recovered artifacts, it seems the earliest use of the Valley of the Queens was for lower royals and members of the court. Beginning in the 19th Dynasty and with increasing royal patronage, multi-chambered tombs with entrance ramps and lavish painted decoration became the norm. The Valley of the Queens, as a complement to the Valley of the Kings and as part of the Theban necropolis as a whole, retains significance of the highest order despite damage to most tombs from flood, looting, and reuse in antiquity, and it is key to understanding the changing role and status of royal women in the 19th Dynasty.

The Valley of the Queens was also linked physically to other sites in the necropolis through workmen's paths radiating from Deir el-Medina. The workers' Sanctuary of Ptah and Meretseger overlooking the valley is manifest evidence of this, as are the remains of workmen's huts in the valley. Later Roman- and Coptic-era reuse of tombs and the remains of the Coptic monastery Deir er-Rumi demonstrate powerfully the archaeological sequence of use in the valley, which spans several thousand years. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Italian archaeologist Ernesto Schiaparelli was active in the valley and discovered many tombs, including that of Nefertari.

The Valley of the Queens is a major component of the World Heritage site of Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis. The historic, artistic, and research values of the valley, and its role as an integral part of the Theban necropolis, require that the site as a whole be managed and conserved in a way that will not degrade or diminish its significance. For over a century, the valley has compelled the interest of scholars, filmmakers, photographers, and millions of visitors and travelers worldwide. Preservation of all its values is of the highest priority in considering how the site should be conserved, managed, and presented for the future.

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