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James Bruce made it to the Valley of the Kings in 1769, just in time to witness the governor of Girga, Osman Bey, attempt to rid the area of the Qurnawis living in the tombs. The bey sent troops to remove the people forcibly, then set fire to the tombs. This happened during the days when the residents had not yet acquired the talent of endearing themselves to foreign visitors; would-be explorers and self-appointed archaeologists rejoiced at the government initiative. "Following no trade, having no taste for agriculture, and like the savage animals of the barren mountains near which they live, appearing to employ themselves solely in rapine, their aspect was not a little terrific," is how they were described by C S Sonnini, a French naturalist who came to Qurna around 1776.
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2001/530/special.htm