Capital of the Luxor Governorate, Luxor, a city in Upper Egypt is also the location of the ancient city of Thebes. It is one of the most visited cities in Egypt, as it offers a rich display of old temple ruins, monuments and tombs, which include the temples of Karnak and Luxor and the tombs in the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens. These ancient beauties are a great treat to explore and the best part is that these popular sights are within the city sitting along side a modern infrastructure.
Luxor was known by different names in different eras. According to Egyptian texts, it was called the ‘city of the scepter’ and ‘the shrine’. Later, when the Greeks settled here, they named the city Thebai followed by the Romans renaming it Thebae. It was also called ‘the city of a 100 gates’. The city grew in importance around the 11th dynasty, becoming the centre for art, religion, politics and wisdom. The Pharaoh rulers amassed great wealth making Luxor a rich and prosperous city.
From the 18th to the 20th dynasties, Luxor became a prominent religious and political capital of Egypt. The people in ancient Egypt worshipped Amon and later they fused the sun god, Ra, with their local god making it Amon-Ra, ‘the king of gods’. Tourists can visit his famous temple in Karnak, which is one of the greatest attractions in Luxor. With its beautiful location on the banks of the River Nile, Luxor is flanked with ancient architecture both on its east as well as west banks.
While the Karnak and Luxor temples along with the Luxor Museum, Mummification Museum and the Luxor International Airport lie on the east bank, the Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens, memorial temples of Ramesses II and III, memorial temple and palace of Amenophis, the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut, Tombs of the Nobles and the workers village, Deir-el-Medina are located on the west banks. Luxor is well-connected to various cities in Egypt, as there are several trains running during the day-time as well as at night.
Within the city, one can travel by the local city bus or hire a taxi or even choose to sightsee on a horse carriage. For crossing over from the east to the west bank, one can either hire a cab or take one of the ferries that are docked on the banks of the Nile, though the latter can cost more than a taxi. Summer can be very hot with temperatures crossing 50 C, but the months from December to February are reasonably cool months with temperature between 24 to 28 degrees centigrade.
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