Deir Al Medinah..Workers’ Village

Almost everything we see today of Ancient Egypt is dedicated to the pharaonic royalty. Because of their massive size and the fact that they are literally carved out of stone, the monumental building projects commissioned by Egypt’s kings have withstood the test of time much better than artefacts from everyday Egyptian life, but the triumphal imagery of the pharaohs in the temples and royal tombs around Luxor can become repetitive.

It almost gives the impression that Egypt’s kings and queens lived alone along the Nile. When all of the temples and royal tombs have worn you down, a visit to the Workers’ Village (or the Tombs of the Nobles) provides a welcome change of pace and some insight into the lives of more ‘normal’ ancient Egyptians.

Deir Al-Medinah is notable for being the only well-preserved Egyptian village near Luxor. The craftsmen who served the kings and queens lived here, not the monarchs. As the state employed artisans to decorate the royal tombs, approximately 70 families lived on this site.

Given their status as skilled artisans, these families were probably still somewhat wealthy in comparison to average people, but the small homes and humble private tombs found here provide as good an indication of what life was like for ancient Egyptians as can be found anywhere else.
The small tombs are exquisitely decorated, as one would expect from tombs decorated by the artists for themselves and their families, and the imagery inside depicts simple scenes from their lives and families. It’s a refreshing change from the generic depictions of the afterlife found in the royal tombs at the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens.

you can visit Deir Al Medinah..Workers’ Village during the Nile Cruise tour between Luxor and Aswan with Al Sahel Travel