Luxor

Luxor is the premier travel destination in Upper (southern) Egypt and the Nile Valley. The dynastic and religious capital of Middle Kingdom and New Kingdom Egypt, Luxor has much to offer the traveller, from vast temples, to ancient royal tombs, via spectacular desert and river scenery and a bustling modern life.

Luxor, The East Bank

The East Bank of Luxor refers to the central part of Luxor township, centred on the twin foci of the Temple of Luxor and the Temple of Karnak. Unlike the West Bank, which was ever the main area for cemeteries and mortuary temples, the East Bank represented the main settlement of the living throughout the millennia, a role that has hardly changed. The vast majority of hotels and tourist facilities are to be found in the East Bank.

What To See and Do

Temples

The Temple of Luxor

As it stands today, largely the work of Amenhotep III and Ramesses II the Great (whose colossi and obelisk stand at the entrance). Also to be seen is the small "hanging" Mosque of Abu al-Haggag, its position a reflection of the ground level that had built up before excavation of the temple precinct.

More accurately, the Temples of Karnak, open daily May-September 6am-6pm, October-April 6am-5pm

An off-shoot to the Karnak temple complex, accessed just before the Second Pylon at left, featuring an amazing array of statuary and reconstructed temple structures. Don't miss this!

Museums

Luxor Museum

open daily October-April 9am-1pm and 4pm-9pm, May-September 9am-1pm and 5pm-10pm, located approximately halfway between Luxor and Karnak temples on the Corniche el-Nil. A small but quality collection of antiquities, mainly from the Luxor region. Includes most of the remarkable collection of pharaonic statuary found in a hidden cache within Luxor Temple in 1989, displayed in a special annex.

open daily October-April 9am-1pm and 4pm-9pm, May-September 9am-1pm and 5pm-10pm, admission 35LE, opposite the Mina Palace Hotel - as the name suggests, the small but fascinating collection is devoted to mummification practices.

Luxor, The West Bank

The West Bank of Luxor in Egypt is even more of an archaeological paradise than the East Bank. A string of pharaonic mortuary temples vies with the richly-decorated Tombs of the Nobles and the Workmens' Village of Deir el-Medineh for the traveller's attention. The West Bank is also the gateway to the amazing Valley of the Kings. Although the vast majority of visitors to Luxir still tend to stay on the East Bank, a growing number now consider the West Bank as a good accommodation option, once you're awake, no need to bother crossing the river, all the sights are right at your doorstep.

What to See and Do

Medinet Habu and Surroundings

Medinet Habu (the Mortuary Temple of Ramesses III),

The Mortuary Temple of Ramesses III

The Tomb of Nefertari

The Tomb of Amunhirkhepeshef

The Workmens' Village

The Tomb of Inherka

The Tomb of Senedjem

The Tomb of Peshedu

The Ptolemaic Temple

The Ramesseum, the common name given to the Mortuary Temple of Ramesses II (the Great).

The Mortuary Temple of Merneptah, admission found immediately adjacent to the Ramesseum,

The Tombs of Nobles in Qurna / Gurna (Sheikh Abd el-Gurna)

The Tombs of Khonsu, Userhat and Benia

The Tombs of Menna and Nakht

The Tombs of Ramose, Userhat and Khaemhat

The Tombs of Sennefer and Rekhmire

The Tombs of Neferenpet, Thutmose and Neferskheru

Gurna Discovery

The Asasif Tombs

Deir el-Bahari

The Temple of Hatshepsut

The Temple of Montuhotep II

The Mortuary Temple of Seti I

Carter's House, This lonely, domed building - on the hill above the intersection where the main road to the Valley of the Kings meets the road to the Temple of Seti I - represents the house in which Howard Carter lived for the years he spent searching for the tomb of Tutankhamun