Luxor - Egypt Travel Guide
Luxor is the premier travel destination in Upper (southern) Egypt and
the Nile Valley. In antiquity, the city, known as Thebes by the Greeks,
was the dynastic and religious capital of Middle Kingdom and New Kingdom
Egypt. Today, it has much to offer the traveler, from vast temples,
to ancient royal tombs, via spectacular desert and river scenery and
a bustling modern life.
The modern city of Luxor is on the east bank. This area has the train and bus stations, most of the hotels and restaurants, some museums, tourist shops and so on.
Visitors usually stay on the east bank and travel across to the west bank of the Nile, to the Valley of the Kings and the mortuary temples of the pharaohs.
To
do in Luxor Egypt
A ballon flight is the latest tourist craze in Luxor, Egypt. It offers an unbeatable view of the city, the west bank and the Nile river. As the ballon gently rises into the dawn sky, tourists witness the beauty of the early morning Egyptian sun rising over the east bank, illuminating the city and mountains, and enjoy magnificent vistas of the Temple of Karnak, the Temple of Hatshepsut, the Colossi of Memnon and the Ramesseum. In the distance, the hidden Valley of the Queens rests peacefully in the mountains while the farming villages below wake up and begin the day.
The
Karnak Sound and Light Show is another favorite tourist attraction.
The show begins as visitors walk along the Avenue of the Sphinxes, passing
through the towering facade into the Great Court. Walking through the
complex, a booming Pharaoh's voice narrates the history of Upper Egypt
and the New Kingdom as the various additions left by rulers such as
King Tutankhamun, Ramses II and Queen Hatshepsut are illuminated against
the night sky. The second part of the Sound and Light Show at Karnak
finds you seated overlooking the sacred lake as the temple complex is
illuminated and the story of Egypt continues. Please note, while the
show
is suitable for all ages, younger children might be frightened by the
darkness of the area and the roaring sound of the speakers. The ground
in and around Karnak is uneven and sandy, so please wear comfortable,
flat walking shoes.
VIDEO: The Great Temple of Amen of Karnak
One of the best displays of antiquities in Egypt is located at the Luxor Museum. They include a carefully selected assortment of items from the Theban temples and necropolis, including pottery, jewelry, furniture, statues and stelae.
There are a number of exhibits from Tutankhamen, including a cow-goddess head from his tomb on the first floor and his funerary boats on the second floor. A superb statue of Thutmose III (circa 1436 BC) is one of the best pieces in the entire collection. Another splendid attraction features 283 sandstone blocks arranged as a wall from the ninth pylon of the Karnak Temple.
The east bank of Luxor has two of the most impressive temples in Upper Egypt - Karnak and Luxor. Visitors walk along the magnificent Avenue of Sphinxes to enter the immense complex with its massive facade. Karnak (Ipet-isut ) was a city for the priests of Amen within the ancient city of Thebes. Various well known pharaohs, especially those of the 18th and 19th dynasties provided for the construction of pylons, collonades, obelisks, chapels, granaries and administrative buildings. The deeper you go into the complex, the further back in time you will travel, with the oldest ruins dating back over 3,000 years.
Walking through the Great Court into the Great Hypostyle Hall, it's hard not to be overwhelmed by the 134 columns towering above you like an ancient forest. At the rear of the complex is the sacred lake where centuries ago pharaohs and their offerings to the gods were purified.
Luxor
Temple (ipet resyt) is one of the finest expressions of the Egyptian
style. Built by Amenhotep III, it was once joined to Karnak by a 2
kilometer long Avenue of Sphinxes. The entrance is dominated by imposing
statues of Ramses the Great, who expanded the construction. The inner
walls and columns are decorated with intricate and beautifully carved
hieroglyphics and images depicting the Festival of Opet, in which
a cult statue of Amen was paraded down the Nile from nearby Karnak
Temple to stay there for a while, with his consort Mut, in a celebration
of fertility.
New entrance to Luxor Temple
In the past, the site was entered from the west side, by the Nile,
which created crowds of people near the Nile. Now the SCA has built
a new entrance on the east side, with a new parking lot and an X-ray
machine. There is also a new gift shop and café for people
to relax and enjoy after visiting the temple. The buildings and police
station that were located north of the temple have been removed, and
for the first time everyone can see Luxor Temple as a whole from the
north side.
Subscribe now and keep updated on this and other popular topics about Egypt
MULTIMEDIA
NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN LUXOR EGYPT
* At present the new airport in Luxor receives
4500 tourists per hour and is able to absorb any increase in tourists
up to the year 2018. The train station has been upgraded to receive 5
trainloads of tourists a day, and a network of highways has been established
to link the city of Luxor to Cairo, Hurghada ,Aswan and Mersa Alam.
*
Medical facilities have been established and existing ones upgraded, as
well as state of the art ambulance services on the ground and on the Nile.
* An IMAX theater is currently under construction as well as other entertainment
venues.
* Through the Luxor portal on the internet, prospective tourists
can now visit many of the historic sites on line, as well as book their
hotel rooms and plan their travel itineraries.
* Currently there are 50
tourist hotels, 35 local hotels, 41 restaurants, 177 travel agencies and
180 floating hotels. 18 more hotels are under construction as well as
5 resorts.
* Looking to the future, the ultimate goal is increasing the
hotel capacity in Luxor such that within twenty years from today there
will be enough rooms to accommodate 4 million tourists a year.
* A new
marina is under construction that will alleviate many of the problems
of the existing system for docking the floating hotels.
* There are several
new areas being developed around Luxor to increase the number of hotel
rooms dramatically. One area is south of the Tod Plateau, this lies on
1500 feddans and will have 10,000 rooms upon completion. Another area
is east of the railway station that lies on 500 feddans and will have
2000 rooms. A third area being developed is North Zinia and it is 145
feddans.
* Several areas are planned for development on the West Bank,
close to Hassan Fathy village and Modira village.
* Another area being
developed close to the Avenue of the Sphynx will house 1000 rooms, and
this is a joint project between Ain Shams University and Clemson University.
* There are also plans for developing safari tourism, as well as plans
for building a new conference center and a new entertainment complex,
complete with restaurants and new taxi services and group transportation.
luxoregypt.org
