Only about a dozen of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings are open to the public, and none allow flash photography. The ancient paintings that cover the inside are made from natural materials (egg yolks for yellow, crushed malachite for green), and are too sensitive to withstand constant temperature and light changes. Some locals are campaigning to close the Valley, or at least raise the price of entry.

Egyptologists say the colors that cover the walls of the Nefertari Tomb are the most vibrant of any in the Valley. The Getty Conservation Institute led a thorough preservation/restoration project in the tomb from 1986-1992. A team of experts worked painstakingly to repair every crack, clean away the dust and protect the fragile details.

This West Bank archaeological site is where the pharaohs kept their workforce sequestered for 500 years. The pharaohs were trying to put a stop to the tomb robbery that had become rampant over the course of preceding dynasties. The location of the Valley of Kings was a secret for centuries. Workmen in Deir el Medina spent their entire lives there, without ever knowing an outside civilization existed.

Like many temples and tombs, this was a Coptic monastery at one point, inhabited by Christians trying to hide from Roman persecution. The relief art on the walls depicts Ramses III's battle victories. The Coptic monks chiseled away many of the soldiers' and gods' faces because they feared the carved figures could come to life and attack them. This is the largest remaining structure in the Medinet Habu complex, which also contains the ruins of smaller temples, storehouses and dwellings.

Although most of this temple has been destroyed, it still has intact granaries and a massive bust of Ramses II. At one point it was an entire statue, and Egyptologists estimate it was the largest statue of its kind ever erected. Also notable are the wall paintings depicting the war with the Hittites.