WV23

Welcome to WV23, the final resting place of Pharaoh Ay, the successor to Tutankhamun. This tomb is located not in the main Valley of the Kings, but in the more secluded Western Valley, often referred to as the 'Valley of the…

As you walk through the iron gate and begin your descent, you are entering the first of two long, wide corridors. The architecture here marks a significant shift from earlier 18th Dynasty tombs. …

At the end of the second corridor, you arrive in Chamber E, a small, cube-like room that serves as the antechamber to the burial hall. Excavations found evidence that this gate was once sealed with mud brick and plaster, proving…

Step now into the burial chamber, the only room in the tomb adorned with murals. Your eyes will immediately be drawn to the right-hand wall, which features the iconic scene that gave this valley its name: the twelve baboons. …

Turning to the rear wall of the chamber, you are greeted by a fine representation of the four sons of Horus: Duamutef, Qebehsenuef, Imsety, and Hapy. These deities were the traditional guardians of the king's internal organs,…

On the front wall of the burial chamber, adjacent to the baboon mural, you will find something truly unique for a royal tomb: a marsh scene. Here, Ay and his wife are shown standing in a small reed skiff, sailing through the…

At the center of the hall rests the great red granite sarcophagus of King Ay. Its history is as turbulent as the king’s reign. …

As you emerge from the depths of WV23 and step back into the bright, silent air of the Valley of the Monkeys, the contrast between the world of the living and the world of the dead is palpable. You have walked through a tomb that…