Joe McGee, age 12, of Columbus, Ohio, for his question:

WHERE IS THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS?

The Valley of the Kings is a rocky, narrow gorge which was used as a cemetary by the kings or pharaohs of ancient Egypt between 1550 and 1200 B.C.  The valley is sometimes called the valley of the Tombs of the ,Rings. It lies on the west bank of the Nile River at Thebes.

Sixty two tombs have been discovered in the Valley of the Kings.

The tombs are in the form of corridors and chambers cut into rock. Carved and painted religious signs and heiroglypic texts cover the walls. The art work deals mainly with the activities of a dead king in the hereafter.

The tomb of Seti I, discovered in 1817, is the largest and most ornate tomb. Other tombs in the Valley of the Kings include those of Tutankhamon and Ramses III.