Luxor is a city located in south-east Egypt. There are a number of the monuments
in the Luxor and is often called the worlds greatest open air museum. Just
opposite to civilization across the the Nile River there are famous monuments,
temples and tombs. The Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens are quite
famous. The whole site has colossal statues, relief's and halls and the Avenue
of the Sphinxes. There are nightly shows of light and sound over here are worth seeing.
Kanark Temple:
It is located 2.5 km north of Luxor and is dedicated to the god Amun.
The Karnak temple was very nicely carved with Egyptian writings (also calles
hieroglyphics) honoring many different gods. A noticeable structure is the
hypostyle hall which measures over 300 feet long and 159 feet wide. The temple
opens at 6 AM If you want to beat the crowd then afternoon is the best as its
hot during that time. Karnak temple was built as the heart of Thebes over a period of
1500 years. It is also the biggest temple ever built. The Great Hypostyle hall
has 134 massive columns with height from 15 meters to 21 meters and it takes six
adults to circle it and reach around and between them are the large statues of
Pharaohs. The main worship placein Karnak temple is Amun-Re-Mut and Khonsu, the holy
trinity, the residence of Pharaohs.
EAST BANK:
Luxor Temple, Luxor International Airport , Karnak Temple ,
Luxor Museum , Mummification Museum
WEST BANK:
Valley of the Kings , Valley of the Queens
Luxor city is highly dependent on tourism, you will find good hotels and
multi-lingual guides to make your trip more pleasant. Along the riverbank, Luxor
Temple is guarded by a huge statue of Ramses II. Luxor temple was built by
Amenophis III. A pleasant walk north along the cornice brings you to the Luxor
Museum where a small, interesting collection of relics from the Theban Temples
and Necropolis can be viewed. The Mummification Museum has exhibits of human,
reptile and bird mummies, as well as explanations of how they are made.
Luxor main streets are Sharia al-Mahatta, Sharia al-Karnak and the Corniched.
Along these street you will often find the colorful restaurants, cafés and shops
with a wide variety of Egyptian souvenirs. Places to see include the Luxor
Temple, Karnak Temple, El-Mekashkesh Mosque, Luxor Museum (halfway between Luxor
temple
and Karnak temple) and Mummification Museum.
Modern day Luxor city is population of 150,000 apx. and has its own Luxor
International Airport, a train service that connects to the capital Cairo in
north and many other popular cities. The city of Luxor also offers boats to
cross the east and west bank.
