Descent Into the Tomb of Ay | The Mystery of KV23

In a remote corner of the Valley of the Monkeys—the West Valley in the Valley of the Kings—can be found mysterious KV23, the tomb of the pharaoh Ay, successor to Tutankhamun. Constructed over three thousand years ago, its chambers are hidden far beneath the Theban hills, connected to the surface by a long passageway cut through solid rock. In the burial chamber can be found Ay’s granite sarcophagus, decorated with raised reliefs and surrounded by wall paintings illustrating selections from the Book of the Dead and the Books of the Netherworld. It is not known what became of Ay’s mummy, but efforts made in pharaonic times to erase Ay from history did not succeed.

Shot in distortion-free full-frame 4K, this is what an ancient Egyptian tomb really looks like.