Burial site of Tutankhamen in the Valley of the Kings, Necropolis of Thebes, Egypt

"In a departure from tradition, most kings of the 18th Dynasty were buried not in pyramid complexes but in tombs tunneled deep into the limestone cliffs flanking a wadi in Thebes known as the Valley of the Kings (Bībān al-Mulūk). Royal tombs consisted of a series of passages leading via steps and ramps to a burial chamber housing the king's body in a stone sarcophagus." [Freed R.E., markowitz Y.J., D'auria S.H., 1999: Pharaohs of the Sun. Akhenaten, Nefertiti, Tutankhamen. Bulfinch Press / Little, Brown and Company]. "KV 62, located in the main wadi, is the most famous tomb in the world because of the treasures it held intact for over three thousand years. J. Howard Carter believed that the four chambers of KV 62, although small, relate directly to lower parts of more traditional royal tomb plans. The walls of the tomb were smoother but, except for burial chamber, were left undecorated. The burial chamber is decorated with scenes from the Opening of the Mouth ritual, Imydwat, Book of the Dead, and representations of the king with various deities." [The Theban Mapping Project]. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for Life magazine and traveled to Africa from January 8, 1947 to end of June 1947.