The Valley of the Queens is a site in Egypt where the wives of the pharaohs were buried in ancient times. It was known at the time as "Ta-Setneferu" meaning "Place of Beauty". It was famous for being the burial place of many of the wives of the pharaohs. The pharaohs themselves were buried in the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Queens, also called the Valley of the Queens' Tombs, and in Arabic Wadi el-Baban el-Haram or Wadi el-Haram, a gorge in the hills along the west bank of the Nile River in Upper Egypt. It was part of ancient Thebes and served as the burial place of queens and some of the royal sons of the 19th and 20th dynasties (1292–1075 BC). The Queens' Tomb is located about 2.4 km west of the mortuary temple of Ramesses III (1187–1156 BC) at Medinet Habu. There are more than 90 known tombs, usually consisting of an entrance corridor, a few short halls, and a sarcophagus chamber. The first may be that of Lester, wife of Ramesses I. The most prominent is that of Nefertari, favorite queen of Ramesses II; Princes Khemuys and Amun-herkhopesef; and a queen of Ramesses called Teti. In 1979 UNESCO added the Valley of the Queens, the Valley of the Kings, Karnak, Luxor and other Theban sites to the Valley World Heritage Site.
