Queen’s Tomb Opened to Visitors

The tomb of Queen Nefertari, the beloved wife of Ramses II, who reigned over Egypt from 1304 BC to 1236 BC, has been opened to the public for the first time since it was discovered in 1904.

Located under the scorching sands of Luxor’s Valley of the Queens, the tomb “was obviously [created] by the most skilled artists in the time of Ramses II who . . . wanted her to have the best tomb possible,” said Mohammed el-Soghayer head of the Supreme Council for Antiquities.

It took years of painstaking work--and millions from the Getty Conservation Institute--to save the magnificent crypt with its 520 square yards of some of the finest painting ever produced by Egyptian civilization.

No more than 150 visitors--who have each paid about $30--will be allowed each day. All visitors will be required to wear surgical masks and shoe pads to protect the walls from moisture and the stone from wear and tear. Even so, the Italian archeologist who headed the restoration team has recommended that fewer than 10 people be allowed in every hour and that transparent curtains be draped across the paintings once tourists arrive.