The place of the
Valley of the Kings
was chosen by the pharaohs of the 18th dynasty because of several reasons . Its good limestone bedrock: it is solid , strong , and at least in some areas relatively free of cracks and fractures .
The valley was adequate: a long valley , along which a funeral procession could move , meanders from the northern end of the Theban Necropolis westward to the Valley of the Kings; footpaths provided easy access over the hills to areas to the south and east . It was easily protected: steep cliffs surround it , and guarding huts built above them provided 360 degree coverage . The large mountain at the southern end of the Valley of the Kings , al-Qurn or "the Horn , " looks from the valley-and only-from-the-valley-rather like a pyramid , a form associated with solar deities who play so great a role in the iconography of the royal tombs .
There are two Valleys of the Kings , the East Valley , with 58 tombs and the much larger West Valley , with just four (known) tombs , only one of which is open and only a few tourists visit . That is just as well: the West Valley of the Kings is a huge desert canyon of 2 kilometers long , defined
by rugged cliffs and steep slopes that rise several hundred meters above the narrow floor . This was the home of Meretseger , a local Egyptian goddess whose name meant "She Who Loves Silence , " and it is clear why she chose to make these hills her home .
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