Luxor

The volume and scale of the antiquities to visit at Luxor is incredible. Located on a beautiful stretch of the Nile, an hour’s flight south from Cairo, the city known as Waset (City of a Hundred Gates) by the ancient Egyptians was the country’s capital when it was at the height of its political power and artistic expression. The Nile divides Luxor into two. In ancient times, corresponding with the patterns of the heavens, the East Bank, where the sun rose, was the city of the living, and the West Bank, over which the sun set, was the necropolis.

Luxor boasts a captivating duality, with its East Bank hosting ancient wonders like Luxor Temple and Karnak Temple, while the West Bank reveals the awe-inspiring Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens, along with the iconic Colossi of Memnon.

The Temples of Karnak and the Temple of Luxor are the two principal archaeological sites on the East Bank of the Nile. Covering over 100 hectares, Karnak is a vast complex of obelisks, pylons, and collonaded halls and is considered one of the grandest monuments in Egypt. On most evenings, an awe-inspiring walk-through Sound and Light Show is held at the temple. Luxor Temple was dedicated to the triad of gods of Amun, Mut and Chons and was the centre of the important Opet Festival. The temple becomes particularly dramatic during the early evening when the entire complex is floodlit. The artefacts in the small Luxor Museum are very well displayed. The principal attractions are a collection of 26 superbly preserved New Kingdom statues found in 1989, funerary goods from the tomb of Tutankhamun and two royal mummies.

Luxor’s West Bank is a treasure trove of monumental funerary architecture on a massive scale. This necropolis was the location of one of the 20th century’s most spectacular archaeological finds: the 1922 discovery of the tomb of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings. The superb state of preservation and exquisite beauty of many of the rock-cut tombs is incredible. In the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens, the walls and chambers within the deep rock-cut tombs are covered with brightly painted hieroglyphs and scenes designed to assist the Pharaoh in the afterlife. Contrasting with the grand themes depicted on the tombs of their royal masters, the Tombs of the Nobles and Tombs of the Workers often feature images from everyday life. Scenes such as those depicting fishermen on the Nile or farmers harvesting grapes provide a very human window into the lives of the ancient Egyptians and help our imagination bridge the centuries that separate their time from ours. In addition to their tombs, the New Kingdom Pharaohs constructed enormous mortuary cult temples. The best surviving examples are those of the female Pharaoh Hatshepsut at Deir El Bahri and that of Ramses III at Medinat Habu. Almost nothing remains of the mortuary temples of Amenhotep III except two gigantic 23-metre 1,000-ton statues of the Pharaoh known as the Colossi of Memnon. Fans of Percy Bysshe Shelley’s Ozymandias will be particularly interested in seeing the statues that inspired the poet to pen one of his most famous poems.

Luxor is ideal for relaxation and benefits from a wonderful winter climate. Complementing the magnificent monuments is the beautiful surrounding countryside. This can be appreciated in many ways, but perhaps the two most spectacular are either from the sky in a dawn hot-air balloon adventure or from the Nile during a sunset cruise in a traditional felucca.

Luxor is the start/end point for the deluxe 3, 4, 6, and 7-night Nile Cruises that ply the Nile between here and Aswan, visiting the magnificent temples en route and passing through stunningly beautiful scenery.