Once the ancient Egyptian capital, Thebes or Luxor lies about 670 km south of Cairo and contains the greatest achievements of ancient Egyptian architecture.
Here in a sort of an open-air museum on both banks of the Nile is the highest construction of monuments in ancient time. One cannot mention Luxor, without traveling back in history for insights about this unique and dramatic city.
For centuries it was the capital of the Egyptian Kingdom at the height of its splendour, ancient Thebes was proverbially famous for its wealth.
It is the city which Homer in the IX canto of the Iliad referred to as “Thebes of the hundred gates”. Its importance started to emerge appreciably from the 10th dynasty onwards, for both political and religious reasons, until finally it became the capital of the pharaohs of the New Kingdom (1550 BC - 1070 BC) for 500 glorious years and remained the country’s religious capital for much longer, a capital whose glory still glowed in the memories of classical writers a thousand years after its decline.
God Amun-Ra, the chief god of Thebes, his wife Mut and their son Khonsu form the triad of Thebes and were worshipped here with great glory. Here the booty of foreign wars, tributes, and taxes poured into the coffers of the 18th and 19th dynasty pharaohs, each of whom surpassed his predecessor in the construction of grandiose temples to the god, creating a concentration of monuments that rivals that of any imperial city before or since.
The city was named “Al-Uqsur”, derived from the Arabic word “Al-Qusur”, which means “The Palaces” in Arabic, referring to the great temples of Karnak and Luxor.
The Nile divides the old Egyptian Capital into two parts, on the eastern bank lies the great Luxor and Karnak temples dedicated to Amun-Ra , while on the western bank in a narrow gorge stretches the necropolis with the famous Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens, the tombs of nobles and the great mortuary temples known as the temples of millions of years.
For an unforgettable experience you can view these awe-inspiring monuments from a hot-air balloon. From Luxor you can take a Nile cruise upstream to Aswan, visit the magnificent temples in Esna, Edfu, Kom ombo or downstream to Dendara and Abydos, take tours to the first Oasis in the Western Desert or head to Hurghada on the Red Sea. Luxor is a small town, ideal for walks - whether along the Nile promenade or through the innumerable little streets with their countless souvenir stands.
Shopping is also something you shouldn’t miss here silver, gold, cotton goods, leather goods and spices among the best bargains. Luxor has an international airport and is accessible from Cairo by buses or trains which run every day.
