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The Tomb of Nefertari
By: Paul Groffie
No matter how long your stay in
Egypt, whether one day or one year, make it a point to stop in the
Valley of the Queens. You can visit the one place which could
truly take you back over three thousand years - the Tomb of
Nefertari.
The drive from our hotel in Luxor
to the ticket booth was only twenty minutes; my heart was beating
heavily with excitement. This was going to be the day that I
witnessed astounding beauty!
What would most impress a tourist
in Egypt? The Great Pyramid? Definitely, it is as amazing as it is
mind-boggling. King Tut's Treasures at the Cairo Museum? They are
astounding. The Temples of Karnak and Luxor? Both make you stop
and wonder what life must have been like for the Ancient
Egyptians. And what about Abu Simbel? The magnitude and beauty
from these temples emanates the power of Ramses the Great and his
most loved wife Nefertari. Obviously each of these is impressive
and truly unforgettable; they leave you with a feeling that words
can not express.
In addition to the above-mentioned
wonders, there exists a special place, which includes all the
astounding beauty, the power and amazing talents of the Ancient
Egyptians. It shows the deep love of a man for his wife. If there
is a place where the walls speak, it is none other than the Tomb
of Nefertari in the Valley of the Queens in Thebes.
It did not matter that the
admission fee was 100 Egyptian Pounds, nor that I would only have
ten precious moments in which to take it all in.
Ernesto Schiaparelli discovered the
Tomb of Nefertari in 1904. Unfortunately, the mummy of Nefertari
was not to be found. All that Schiaparelli was able to uncover
were pieces of her rose granite sarcophagus and thirty-four
ushabtis. To date, eighty tombs have been discovered in the Valley
of the Queens.
The sun shown brightly as we
approached the entrance to the Valley of the Queens. As I began
walking from the lot towards the entrance of the Valley, the
anticipation was almost too much to handle.
This tomb is an ancient marvel with
its bright living colors and amazing beauty. Of all the tombs
discovered in Egypt, the Tomb of Nefertari is the most colorful,
most dramatic and most well preserved. It is true there are many
tombs throughout Egypt, which are wonderfully decorated, but none
is as vivid as Nefertari's. The artisan’s talent gives all those
who enter this tomb the overwhelming feeling time has stood still
since 1255 BC when Nefertari died at a young age.
The biggest question in my mind as
I witnessed this marvel was - how? How did it remain in such
pristine shape? I felt so honored to be present in Nefertari's
tomb.
In 1986, The Egyptian Antiquities
Organization and the Getty Conservation Institute combined their
efforts to combat the demise of the paintings from the effects of
salt, moisture and flooding. The job was both time-consuming and
extremely delicate. There was to be no restoration of the
paintings; only conservation methods were to be used. In 1987,
after thoroughly documenting the tombs' features and decorations,
the institute proceeded to temporarily bandage the paintings that
were separating from the walls. The conservationists used small
bandages of Japanese mulberry bark paper. Then, over a six-year
period, the meticulous work continued. The group was able to
stabilize the deterioration which had occurred.
The biggest mistake I could have
made would have been not treasuring every moment of my time spent
in Nefertari's Tomb.
Egypt is a beautiful country. Many
of the works of the ancients have survived to this day to tell us
their amazing story. Sometimes the artwork is in outstanding
condition, other times the artwork is in ruins but in Nefertari's
Tomb, the artwork is alive and it tells wonderful tales of what
the Ancient Egyptians felt was in the other world. As I walked
slowly into the tomb, the colors just jumped off the wall. My
first reaction was the tomb was too beautiful to be authentic. As
I slowly walked through savoring all of the details and realized
this tomb has survived over 3,000 years, it made me smile. I
smiled because I was proud - proud I was in Egypt to see this. I
smiled because I was amazed - amazed at the wonders I was seeing.
And I smiled because I was privileged, truly privileged to be in
this amazing country. And I was privileged to be right in the
center of history!
Afterglow…
As I explored Egypt, I felt an
incredible happiness as I traveled from one amazing place to
another. I also felt the true sorrow (or letdown) which inevitably
takes place when you've left someplace you looked forward to
seeing. Egypt will have this effect. Egypt has much more to offer
the historian, scholar, explorer, and vacationer who can spend any
amount of time. The one thing you definitely can count on is you
will want to come back!
You may write Paul at PFG88@aol.com
with any questions or comments.
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