The first pharaohs were buried in Pyramids. They wanted to show their subjects how powerful they were and this was a visual display of their power. However, it became obvious that tomb raiders could easily break into the tombs and rob whatever riches were inside. Therefore they needed another place to bury their dead.
They came up with an idea that they could bury their dead beneath the ground, so that the tomb robbers could not see where the Pharaohs were buried.
The Egyptians found just the right spot in the upper region of Egypt, in Luxor and it was named the Valley of the Kings and next to it the Valley of the Queens.
The land was flat and enabled the Egyptians to bury their dead in underground chambers. Another reason why they chose this area was that the top of the mountain which overlooked the position was a large pyramid looking stone (called El-Qurn) that had been naturally made. They thought that it was the sign of the gods, especially the Sun god Ra, as the stone looked like it was reaching to the sky and the sun set behind it in the evening. The Valley of the Kings was difficult to get to because it could only be accessed through thin narrow pathways, which meant that it was easy to guard. Although the Egyptians tried everything that they could to stop tomb robbers, they still managed to get in and take fantastic riches which we will probably never see again.
