The next tomb was KV47, the eternal home of Siptah, who ascended the throne at fourteen. Siptah was perhaps the illegitimate son of King Merneptah and his Syrian concubine. The tomb was never completed, which explains why it was so austere compared to the first tomb I visited, but it was also the victim of damage and pillaging.
The other obvious difference when I visited was the almost complete absence of tourists. I waited for a couple to exit the burial chamber before stepping into it myself. Into this incredible still space. It took me a while to work out what was so peculiar and disconcerting about this space, then it was obvious; it was silence, something I had not experienced since I had landed in Egypt.
I would have happily curled up on the floor and slept, but five minutes later, I was out, avoiding the ticket seller’s demands for baksheesh. A tomb I had paid extra to see had a long queue, and so I made a vague promise to circle back to it and continued on.
The third tomb I explored was KV14, tomb of Queen Tausert, and then reused and extended by King Setnakht. Tausert was the final Pharaoh of the nineteenth Dynasty. Her claim came from her marriage to Setti II rather than through her bloodline. Hence, her successor was also not of royal blood and usurped her during a time of crisis and political upheaval. Both only resided for a short time. It is thought that Setnakht co-opted the Queen’s tomb out of both pragmatism and as a way to further cement his right to rule. Renocations by Setnakht also made it one of the largest tombs in the valley. What I liked the most was this large painting winged goddess, which is assumed to represent the afterlife.
The tomb was quite busy when I visited, and was well-decorated leading up to the burial chamber.
The fourth and final tomb I explored was KV2- the tomb of Ramesses IV. Ramesses IV came to the throne after his father was assassinated, and his first act as Pharaoh was the arrest and execution of the conspirators.
The tomb has been open since antiquity, and visitors often vandalised the tomb with their names and other details. At one point, it was believed to house Coptic priests, who also left their mark. Fortunately, enough decoration remains along the corridor, which probably led to it being choked with people, much to my frustration.
The sarcophagus, still present, was of course the focus of much attention, but I did manage to make my way to it, However I struggled to get a proper angle on it.
Feeling equal parts awe and irritation, I made my way back out and to the cafe that was our meeting point, where I discovered that a simple iced coffee would cost me more than the entire tour. Instead, passing through the market on our way back to our bus, I bought a pomegranate juice can for a more mild rip-off.
Adrian's Got The Moose 
