Deir el-Medina

Deir el-Medina

Deir El-Medina in Egypt

The workmen who built and decorated the royal tombs used to live there. The entire village has been completely excavated. The master quarries, painters, masons and sculptures who worked on the royal tombs used to live in this village with their family. The workers used to reach the Valley of The Kings by walking each day through a mountain path which passed over the cliff of Deir el- Bahari. The remains of the village lie on the path between Deir el- Bahari and the Valley of the Queens. Almost all the houses are similar in size and design. All of them are small and share common walls. Each house used to have an entrance supported by one column from the inside. A main chamber lied behind the entrance. Stairways at the end of the chamber leads to long, vanished roof. The house were made of mud bricks, a common way of building in the Egyptian country side. The kitchen was a court behind the stairs. A visitor can see larger houses in the village. These houses used to belong to the chiefs of the crews.