Tomb of King Ayi | KV23 / WV23 in Valley of the Kings, Luxor, Egypt – Egyptian Tombs
Discover the history of Egyptian tombs in the Ancient Egypt civilization to build the tomb of the king and minister Khaperkhapero Re Ay, secrets and history of the Pharaonic civilization “Ancient Egypt History” and facts about the most important Pharaonic tombs in the Western Valley.
Discover the Valley of the Monkeys from the 18th Pharaonic Dynasty, wall inscriptions, a map of the tomb’s design from the inside, what are the entrance ticket prices, visiting hours, and more to start your tourist trip and visit the tourist attractions in Luxor, in addition to the rare tourist attractions in Egypt.
Tomb of King Ayi Facts
Who discovered the tomb of Ay?
The tomb was discovered in 1816 AD by the Italian Egyptology and archaeologist Giovanni Battista Belzoni..
Where is the cemetery located?
The tomb is located in the Western Valley in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, southern Egypt..
Cemetery number= WV23.
The tomb of Ay is open to visitors in the West Valley area of the Valley of the Kings in Luxor..
The length of the tomb is 60 meters..
It was discovered that tomb No. 23 is a tomb that was stolen by king Ay, as it has the same design as Tomb KV55, which was built during the reign of King Akhenaton, one of the famous Egyptian Pharaohs kings in the Valley of the Kings.
He has the Royal Tomb of Akhenaten “Amenhotep Iv” in the Tell el-Amarna area in Minya, in addition to King Ay having the Tomb of Ay – Ta 25 among the tombs of the nobles in Tell el-Amarna “Tombs of the Nobles Amarna“.
There are confirmed theories from Egyptologists that the tomb was intended for the burial of the Mummy of the pharaoh King Tutankhamun, and the pharaonic Ancient Egyptian Coffins of the king was transferred to the Tomb of Tutankhamun | KV62 in the Valley of the Kings, but the minister and the priest, Ay, usurped it and seized it and changed the inscriptions and drawings on the walls with his full name..
The tomb of Ay was vandalized during the reign of King Horemheb, as soon as King Horemheb took power in ancient Egypt “Ancient Egyptian Government“, he vandalized all the tombs and temples of the nobles during the reign of King Akhenaten, as King Akhenaten unified the Egyptian deities – Ancient Egyptian gods and Goddesses to the God Aton and closed all the Egyptian Temples for all the regions of Upper and Lower Egypt as in the Geography of ancient Egypt.
It is clear that King Horemheb was religious in worshiping the God Amun, so he was the main reason for the destruction and removal of all the traces and inscriptions on the walls of the Mortuary Temples and tombs..
The western valley was named the Valley of the Monkeys based on inscriptions discovered in the burial chamber of King Ay’s tomb..
The coffin of King Ai was found broken. The Egyptian government and the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities restored and repaired it and displayed it in The Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square “Museums in Cairo“.
The mummy of King Ay has not been discovered. It is believed that it was stolen by Ancient Egyptian Grave Robbers during periods of famine, chaos, and the spread of Revolutions in Ancient Egypt, and the weakness of the application of Law in Ancient Egypt and justice, which was symbolized by the symbol of the god Maat.
The tomb is considered unfinished and contains 7 long corridors..
Copper discs (Ancient Egyptian Metallurgy) and gilded ones, a wooden statue of the king, broken ones, porcelain and ceramic artifacts, boxes and pharaonic altars were found, indicating the development of Sculpture in Ancient Egypt.
Cemetery design map from inside:
The design of the tomb begins with a long corridor that descends down to a room containing a water well, then another corridor that leads to the burial chamber, which contains the coffin and the mummy of the king..
The architectural design of the tomb contains two corridors and then a staircase leading down. The second corridor leads to the waiting hall, then the burial chamber, indicating the development of Architecture in ancient Egypt.
Tomb inscriptions:
It was discovered that the engravings and drawings on the walls of the tomb are 100% similar to the drawings on the walls of Tutankhamun’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings..
The walls of the corridor do not contain any inscriptions or drawings of the pharaohs..
The burial chamber contains inscriptions and drawings of scenes of the king, i.e. on a hunting trip, a hippopotamus hunt, in addition to inscriptions from the Book of Gates and The Book of the Dead.
You will see a pharaonic inscription on the northwest wall of the king picking nuts in the presence of the God Osiris.
Engraving on the north-eastern wall of 12 monkeys representing the first hours of the night during his sacred journey after death as in the myths of the pharaohs “Egyptian Mythology“.
There is a distinctive inscription above the entrance to the death chambers of the sons of God Horus, in addition to a group of Egyptian gods, the Ancient Egyptian religion, and the ancient religious beliefs of the ancient Egyptians..
There was an inscription of the king with his wife on the walls but it has been completely vandalized..
The king ruled the throne of ancient Egypt at least 60 years old..
The death of the king was natural, without diseases or murder plots..
About King Ay:
Date of Birth: 14th century BC
Burial place: Tomb A23 in the Valley of the Kings, Luxor.
Wife: Queen Tiye and Queen Ankhesenamun, the most famous queens of Pharaonic Egypt “Female Pharaohs“.
Children:
Death of a star
Nefertiti
Father: Yuya
Mother: Tejoyo.
King Ay or Kheper Kheperu Re Ay is considered the 13th king of the 18th Dynasty of the Pharaohs..
The reign in ancient Egypt “Ancient Egyptian Government” lasted only 4 years in the period 1327-1323 BC.
It is considered that King Ay is the son of Yuya and the father of Queen Tiye, the wife of King Amenhotep III..
Which minister served for a long time during the reign of King Tutankhamun?.
After the death of King Tutankhamun, the minister declared himself Pharaoh of Egypt, since he was from the royal family, and he received the Coronation of the Pharaohs.
The minister had a prominent role in helping King Tutankhamun restore the worship of the ancient Egyptian gods after King Akhenaten unified the worship of the Egyptian gods..
The minister had a clear influence in helping King Tut at the beginning of his reign, as the young king Tutankhamun was 9 years old at the time..
The minister married Queen Ankhesenamun, the widow of King Tut.“
There are theories, but they are not confirmed, that the minister killed King Tutankhamun, then seized the throne of ancient Egypt, then married Queen Ankhesenamun and prevented her husband from marrying the Hittites king after killing him and preventing him from entering the borders of ancient Egypt..
The vizier held an important position in the government of King Akhenaten and had the pharaonic title of “the divine father.”“
Tomb of King Ayi address:
Western Valley, Valley of the Kings, Luxor, Egypt
Visiting hours:
Daily: 09:00 AM to 05:00 PM.
Ticket prices Tomb of King Ayi:
Note: Facts and secrets of the history will be added soon…
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The Tomb of King Ayi WV23 Luxor Egypt in the Valley of the Kings
