Architecture of Eternity
The Evolution
From simple pit graves to the majestic Giza Pyramids and the hidden rock-cut tombs of the Valley of the Kings, funerary architecture evolved to ensure eternal protection.
Read MoreThe False Door
A magical threshold carved into the tomb wall that allowed the Ka (spirit) of the deceased to move between the afterlife and the world of the living.
Read MoreRock-Cut Tombs
Carved deep into cliffs, these tombs became popular in the Middle and New Kingdoms, offering security and a canvas for elaborate painted scenes.
Read MoreThe Pyramid Shape
Representing the primeval mound of creation (Benben) or the rays of the sun, the pyramid was a vehicle for the pharaoh's ascent to the stars.
Read MoreOld Kingdom Tombs & Pyramids
The standard tomb for nobles. A flat-roofed, rectangular structure with sloping sides, covering a burial shaft. It evolved from early royal burials.
The first monumental stone structure in history. Imhotep stacked six mastabas to create a stairway to the sky for King Djoser.
Located in Saqqara, this is the largest noble mastaba, featuring 33 rooms and intricate reliefs of daily life, hunting, and fishing.
A masterpiece of Old Kingdom art in Saqqara. Ti was a high official whose tomb is famous for its detailed reliefs of hippopotamus hunts.
Middle Kingdom Tombs
The cliff-side tombs of powerful regional governors (nomarchs). Known for scenes of wrestling, warfare, and Asiatic caravans.
Built with a mud-brick core encased in limestone. Its associated workers' village (Kahun) provides vital data on daily life.
The "Dome of the Wind" tombs belonging to the nobles of Elephantine, who led trade and military expeditions into Nubia.
New Kingdom Tombs & Caches
Hundreds of private tombs cut into the Theban hills, decorated with vibrant scenes of the deceased's life, festivals, and the afterlife.
A vizier's tomb showcasing the artistic transition from the classical style of Amenhotep III to the revolutionary Amarna style of Akhenaten.
Known as the "Tomb of the Vines" for its spectacular ceiling painted with grapevines, creating a lush, eternal arbor.
The artisans who built the royal tombs constructed their own tombs with small pyramids and stunning vaulted burial chambers.
A hidden shaft tomb in Deir el-Bahari where priests hid over 50 royal mummies (including Ramesses II) to protect them from robbers.
Located at Abydos, this unique subterranean structure was built to resemble the primeval island of creation and served as a symbolic tomb for Osiris.
Late Period & Unique Structures
Deep shaft tombs from the 26th Dynasty that reflect a "Renaissance" of Old Kingdom artistic styles and texts.
A massive underground gallery containing 24 granite sarcophagi (weighing up to 80 tons) for the sacred Apis Bulls, revered as manifestations of Ptah.
Located at Medinet Habu, these chapels served as the final resting places for the powerful God's Wives of Amun who ruled Thebes.
Located in Tuna el-Gebel, this tomb blends traditional Egyptian religious iconography with Greek artistic styles, reflecting the Ptolemaic era.