Often characterized as the ‘world’s greatest open air museum,’ Luxor lies directly on the site of the ancient city of Thebes, Egypt, adjacent to the West Bank Necropolis and Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens.
It's all about ancient Egypt here, with 'secondary' attractions including the Karnak and Luxor temples, the Temple of Hatchepsut and Colossi of Memnon. Although August is ridiculously hot, it is the most fun time to be in Luxor. The festival of Moulid of Abu el-Haggag is held annually around this time (although this year it falls on July 28th and 29th) and is a two-day street festival of dance, food, music, horse-racing and stick-fights and fun to celebrate the birthday of the holy Abu el Haggag (basically a local saint).
Places to See
The Valley of the Kings is located on the west bank of Luxor. As the burial place of pharaohs from the New Kingdom, the 18th, 19th and 20th Dynasties, it is considered one of the most important archeological sites in the world. Each of the 62 identified tombs consist of three corridors, an antechamber and sunken sarcophagus chamber. These tombs were more difficult to raid than their pyramid predecessors, and so remain essentially intact. Texts in the tombs---to include the Book of Gates, Book of Caverns, Books of the Heavens and Book of the Earth---focus primarily on astronomy and theories of the afterlife. Of the Pharaohs buried here, Ramses V, Ramses VI, and Tutankhamun are the most well-known.
Lying directly to the south of The Valley of the Kings, towards the River Nile, is The Valley of the Queens. These tombs are the final resting place of family members and high officials of the royal dynasties, to include Queen Nefertari. The Temple of Hatshepsut and Colossi of Memnon are also found here.
Hatchepsut Temple
Hatshepsut was a rare female pharaoh who ruled from 1503 to 1482 B.C., longer than any female ruler of an indigenous dynasty. This lady was power-hungry, and not only held on to the throne, but built a staggering series of monuments in her own honor. Though a male heir was born during her reign, Hatshepsut refused to step aside and came to assume absolute power through a combination of force and political cunning. Her temple includes a lion-flanked Middle Terrace, Birth Colonnade, Chapel of Anubis, Punt Colonnade, Chapel of Hathor and Sanctuary of Amun. Particularly striking is the Djeser-Djeseru, meaning ‘Splendor of Splendors,’ found on the uppermost terrace. This colonnaded structure built into the cliff face creates the look of the Egyptian hieroglyph for a Nun, a four-step pyramid representing the primordial mound Amun was born from.
The Colossi of Memnon are enormous twin statues of Amenhotep III. The statues depict Amenhotep in a seated position, with both hands resting on his knees and his gaze turned eastward to the River Nile. Though their original function was to guard the entrance of Amenhotep’s temple, the 60-foot statues are all that remain. While the Valleys of the Kings and Queens are open year-round, it is best to visit in the autumn or spring, so as to avoid the sweltering heat and merciless cold of the winter and summer months.
Hotels in Luxor, Egypt
Accommodation in Luxor varies from the hyper-luxurious suites that start at around $1000 a night, to the more rough-and-ready options of staying in the spare room of an entrepreneurial grandmother who will probably accost you near the station, plying you with food, drink and unintelligible – but very friendly – gabble during your stay (around $20 per night, per room or per person, depending). Standard chain-style hotel accommodation starts from around $80 per room per night.
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(Photo:iStockPhoto/Gim42)
