The Valley of the Queens and the Sanctuary of Meretseger and Ptah

We visit the Valley of the Queens and the tombs of: Prince Amun-her-Khopershef; Queen Titi, and Prince Khamwaset.

We next make a short cross-country walk from the Valley of the Queens up over the hills, and down into the Workers' village, Deir-el-Medina. At about the half way point we will have an opportunity to see the Sanctuary of Meretseger ('She Who Loves Silence') and Ptah. The beauty of this walk is that it gives participants the feel for a trek through the desert but is only a few kilometres in length. There was also a real sense of discovery as we encountered the Sanctuary of Meretseger and Ptah. We were stunned by these stelae set into the natural rock face, and still with good detail in many parts, and even some colour! Set next to the 'Cavern of the Serpents', the whole site was exciting and provided welcome shade in which to relax, cool down, and explore at our leisure. Meretseger ('She Who Loves Silence') was the goddess of the Theban Hills, most especially the pyramid-like hill that dominates the Valley of the Kings (al-Qurn 'the Horn' in Arabic).

Meretseger was usually represented as a cobra and she was associated with Hathor, goddess of the West. The villagers of Deir el-Medina made sepcial devotion to her cult, including the creation of a sanctuary to her in a rocky outcrop between their village and the Valley of the Queens. Various stelae were erected or cut in the area during the New Kingdom period (19th and 20th Dynasties). Ptah, the creator god of Memphis and patron of craftsmen, was also honoured at this site by workers of the nearby village.

Sanctuary of Meretseger and Ptah