Luxor, This great Egyptian city has long been a favorite for charter holidays, and it is now more easily accessible - and affordable - if you like booking flights and hotels on your own.
Egyptians would like to inform you that Luxor is the world's largest open-air museum, but that comes nowhere near describing this extraordinary place. There is simply nothing in the world that comes close to the grandeur of ancient capital of Egypt, the great city of "Thebes".
Seeing the best places, today's traveler risks being surrounded by coachloads of tourists as they are herded through tombs and temples at a furious pace. But with good planning, it is possible to avoid the crowds and enjoy the magic of the Theban landscape and its unparalleled historical sights.
Helping you to do the most of this ancient city and its surroundings, here are some highlights to help you on your day:
Luxor East Bank:
Temples of Karnak. A place that is considered to be More than just one temple, it is an extraordinary complex of sanctuaries, kiosks, pylons and obelisks dedicated to the Theban gods and the greater glory of pharaohs. Everything is on a gigantic scale: the site covers over 2 sq km, large enough to contain about 10 cathedrals, while its main structure, the Temple of Amun, is the largest religious building ever made.
Luxor Temple. It was built by the New Kingdom pharaohs Amenhotep III (1390-1352 BC) and Ramses II (1279-1213 BC), Luxor Temple is a strikingly graceful monument in the heart of the modern town. Visit early when the temple opens, before the crowds arrive or later at sunset when the stones glow. Whenever you go, be sure to return at night when the temple is lit up, creating an eerie spectacle as shadow and light play off the reliefs and colonnades.
Mummification Museum is built in the same place of the visitors center on Luxor Corniche close from Luxor Temple, the small Mummification Museum has well presented exhibits explaining the art of mummification. Among display are the well-preserved mummy of a 21st-dynasty high priest of Amun, Maserharti, and a host of mummified animals. Vitrines show the tools and materials used in the mummification process - check out the small spoon and metal spatula used for scraping the brain out of the skull.
Luxor West Bank:
The Great Necropolis of Millions of Years of Pharaoh the Valley of the Kings. It is also called as the Place of Truth, it has 63 magnificent royal tombs from the New Kingdom period (1550-1069 BC), all very different from each other. The West Bank had been the site of royal burials from the First Intermediate Period (2160-2025 BC) onwards. Among others, tombs include the famous Tomb of Tutankhamun, but be warned that the story of the celebrated discovery of the famous tomb and all the fabulous treasures it contained far outshines its actual appearance, and it is one of the least impressive tombs that was founded by H. Carter in 1922.
Finally we have Valley of the Queens. There are at least 75 tombs in the Valley of the Queens. They belonged to queens of the 19th and 20th dynasties and other members of the royal families, including princesses and the Ramesside princes. Only two were open at the time of writing, and the Tomb of Nefertari the most beautiful tomb is closed for the foreseeable future but a replica will be built soon.
Egyptians would like to inform you that Luxor is the world's largest open-air museum, but that comes nowhere near describing this extraordinary place. There is simply nothing in the world that comes close to the grandeur of ancient capital of Egypt, the great city of "Thebes".
Seeing the best places, today's traveler risks being surrounded by coachloads of tourists as they are herded through tombs and temples at a furious pace. But with good planning, it is possible to avoid the crowds and enjoy the magic of the Theban landscape and its unparalleled historical sights.
Helping you to do the most of this ancient city and its surroundings, here are some highlights to help you on your day:
Luxor East Bank:
Temples of Karnak. A place that is considered to be More than just one temple, it is an extraordinary complex of sanctuaries, kiosks, pylons and obelisks dedicated to the Theban gods and the greater glory of pharaohs. Everything is on a gigantic scale: the site covers over 2 sq km, large enough to contain about 10 cathedrals, while its main structure, the Temple of Amun, is the largest religious building ever made.
Luxor Temple. It was built by the New Kingdom pharaohs Amenhotep III (1390-1352 BC) and Ramses II (1279-1213 BC), Luxor Temple is a strikingly graceful monument in the heart of the modern town. Visit early when the temple opens, before the crowds arrive or later at sunset when the stones glow. Whenever you go, be sure to return at night when the temple is lit up, creating an eerie spectacle as shadow and light play off the reliefs and colonnades.
Mummification Museum is built in the same place of the visitors center on Luxor Corniche close from Luxor Temple, the small Mummification Museum has well presented exhibits explaining the art of mummification. Among display are the well-preserved mummy of a 21st-dynasty high priest of Amun, Maserharti, and a host of mummified animals. Vitrines show the tools and materials used in the mummification process - check out the small spoon and metal spatula used for scraping the brain out of the skull.
Luxor West Bank:
The Great Necropolis of Millions of Years of Pharaoh the Valley of the Kings. It is also called as the Place of Truth, it has 63 magnificent royal tombs from the New Kingdom period (1550-1069 BC), all very different from each other. The West Bank had been the site of royal burials from the First Intermediate Period (2160-2025 BC) onwards. Among others, tombs include the famous Tomb of Tutankhamun, but be warned that the story of the celebrated discovery of the famous tomb and all the fabulous treasures it contained far outshines its actual appearance, and it is one of the least impressive tombs that was founded by H. Carter in 1922.
Finally we have Valley of the Queens. There are at least 75 tombs in the Valley of the Queens. They belonged to queens of the 19th and 20th dynasties and other members of the royal families, including princesses and the Ramesside princes. Only two were open at the time of writing, and the Tomb of Nefertari the most beautiful tomb is closed for the foreseeable future but a replica will be built soon.
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