King Tut’s Tomb Chambers
The burial chamber of King Tut is the grandest room within the entire tomb. This room was colored a vibrant yellow with paintings of Tutankhamun (King Tut) in various representations. The murals on the wall have been a source of debate as many historians have come to believe they were purposely made large enough to cover the walls of the tomb quickly. Other tombs in the Valley of the Kings had more detailed paintings on the walls. When comparing these depictions to other prominent pharaohs buried in the valley, it leads many historians to believe the tomb burial was rushed.
The burial chamber walls have been divided up into four regions known as the northern wall, eastern wall, southern wall, and western wall. Each one of these walls has different depictions of the pharaoh ranging from his death to his afterlife journey.
The Northern Wall
This wall is viewable immediately upon entering the tomb through the Antechamber. The mural upon this wall is the most famous and has been photographed in countless books of Tutankhamun. The mural depicts three scenes of Tutankhamun. In one scene he is in the form of Osiris having the opening of the mouth ceremony performed on him by Aye who was his vizier dressed as a high ranking priest. This ceremony was done to Ancient Egyptian mummies and statues as this ritual brought life into them.
In the next scene and in the middle of the mural, Tutankhamun is seen as a young boy being greeted by the Goddess Nut. In her hands she is holding symbols that resemble the surface of water as if drawn by a young child. These symbols represent the Goddess welcoming Tutankhamun in his journey into the afterlife. This can almost be seen as a means to symbolize her comforting the pharaoh in his journey, reassuring him nothing bad is going to happen.
To the left side of the mural is Tutankhamun embracing Osiris. This scene shows the pharaoh perhaps being accepted into the afterlife. Behind him stands his Ka (his spiritual representation) embracing Tutankhamun.
The Eastern Wall
The eastern wall on the tomb is much more dramatic. Upon this wall, the king is being carried to his tomb by mourners, high officials of Upper and Lower Egypt, and possibly Horemheb towards the rear procession.
In this scene, Tutankhamun’s body is being slid across the ground upon a ship that has been anchored on a sled with a canopy used to shelter and protect his mummy.
The Southern Wall
The southern wall of the burial chamber was unfortunately damaged as there was no door to easily access the room. From the antechamber, Howard Carter chiseled his way through damaging a portrait of the Goddess Isis that would have been on the opposite side of the wall. Though a great deal of the painting on this wall was damaged, the other half shows Tutankhamun surrounded by the God Anubis and the Goddess Hathor. In their hands they are holding Ankhs which symbolize Tutankhamun’s eternal life in the Afterworld.
The Western Wall
The western wall is covered with 12 Baboons that represent the 12 hours throughout the night which Tutankhamun must pass through before getting into the Afterlife. This boat ride was important as all ancient Egyptians believed the pharaoh had to make this journey. For this reason, the boat was painted in the upper left hand corner with a scarab beetle representing the sun god. Worshiping this sun are two forms of Osiris within the boat. To the right side of this painting are other gods such as Ma’at and Horus to name a few.
The Contents of the Burial Chamber
The burial chamber encompassed a more sophisticated view in that it was not filled with hundreds of items such as the annex room, the treasury room, or the antechamber. The elegance of this room was made obvious through the reliefs on the wall and the large golden shine that encased two more shrines and
Tutankhamun’s sarcophagus. The little space that was left between the large blue and gold shrine and the tomb walls of the northern wall included boat ores and an Imiut Fetish (emblem of Anubis) positioned ever so neatly across.
Though the chamber looked as if it housed very little items, the burial chamber inside the tomb had the most important and glorious treasure ever found within Egypt— Tutankhamun’s mummy, his solid gold coffin, and his death mask.