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Luxor – Saga Travel Egypt

Luxor

East Bank

Karnak Temple

Karnak Temple houses the Great Temple of Amun, which was constructed over a period of 2,000 years and is the world’s largest columned temple. From the grand avenue of ram-headed sphinxes bearing the name of Ramses II to the great Hypostyle Hall with its 134 columns conceived by Seti I, on to the towering obelisk of Queen Hatshepsut and beyond to the Sacred Lake which bore the barques of the Theban Triad, Amun, Mut and Khonsu, Karnak is open daily 7am to 6pm in summer and 7am to 4pm in winter.

Open-Air Museum at Karnak includes the Great Court, to the north of which are the remains of three small chapels found buried inside newer structures at Karnak. The limestone Pavilion of Sesostris I and the alabaster Shrine of Amenhotep I have been reconstructed.

 

Luxor Museum

Luxor Museum of Ancient Egyptian Art is one of the finest museums in Egypt, containing a modest but well-selected collection of objects from the Thebes area dating from the prehistoric through the Islamic eras. Don’t miss to visit the new hall containing the magnificent statues recently found in Luxor Temple!

 

Luxor Temple

Luxor Temple is the Southern Harem of Amun whose colossal statues and remaining obelisk stand in front of the first pylon. On the walls of the colonnade are some fine reliefs depicting the festival of Opet when the sacred barques of the Theban Triad were brought here from Karnak. The double row of sphinxes in front of the temple once continued all the way to Karnak.

 

Mummification Museum

Mummification Museum houses a unique display of mummies including a fish, cat, crocodile and the tools used to perform the mummification process.

 

LUXOR WEST BANK

Unless otherwise noted, sites are open daily from 7am to 6pm in summer and 7am to 4pm in winter. Entrance fees are charged per site. Tickets must be purchased at the booth on the west bank landing of the tourist ferry or at the inspector’s office behind the Colossi of Memnon.

 

Colossi of Memnon

Were misnamed by the Greeks, who thought they represented the Trojan hero Memnon. These two massive quartzite statues of Amenhotep III once guarded the entrance to his mortuary temple which has been totally destroyed. No entrance fee.

 

Deir El-Bahari

Is majestically set against sandstone cliffs. The Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, the first woman to claim the title of pharaoh. Although images of the queen were systematically defaced by her successor, many of the reliefs depicting major events of her reign remain. The columns in the Shrine of Hathor bearing the face of that goddess are of particular note.

 

Deir El-Medina

Is where the remains of the village once occupied by the artisans who excavated and decorated the tombs in the Valley of the Kings lie. The nearby hillside is dotted with workmen’s tombs, one of the more notable being that of Sennudjem, with its fascinating vision of the afterlife in the “Fields of Reeds.” There is no entrance fee for the village. Entrance fee only to visit the tombs of Sennudjem and Inherkhau, the only two currently open.

 

Medinet Habu

Is a site dominated by the Mortuary Temple of Ramses III, the largest and best preserved on the west bank. Many fine paintings and reliefs bearing the usual scenes of the king’s military exploits, also a unique portrayal of a sea battle. Ramesseum is the Mortuary Temple of Ramses II, which although half in ruin, still has a romantic appeal due to the remains of a colossal statue of the king lying shattered in the first court

 

Tombs of the Nobles

Are the private tombs of dignitaries and priests during the New Kingdom and are remarkable for their colorful scenes of everyday life. Among the more interesting are: Nacht who was a scribe of the granaries under Tuthmosis IV. The tomb has remarkably detailed pictures of numerous activities.

 

for Nacht and Menne; Ramose who was a vizier under Amenhotep III and Amenhotep IV (Akheaten). This tomb contains likenesses of the latter both in the conventional style and in the more realistic manner he introduced along with his new religion. Userhat and Kharmhet; and Rekhmire who was a vizier under Tuthmosis III and Amenhotep II. His tomb reveals much about law, taxation and foreign policy in his time.

 

Valley of the Kings

Is the royal necropolis and burial site of pharaohs of the 18th, 19th and 20th Dynasties.  A representative sample would include: Ramses III with its unique set of side chambers devoted to various aspects of the king’s life and an assortment of gods and goddesses; Ramses IV, the tomb chamber of which has a vaulted ceiling with two paintings of the goddess Nut, representing the day and night sky; Tuthmosis III with its catouche-shaped tomb chamber and its refreshingly simple, uncluttered decoration; and Tutankhamun, undoubtedly the most famous, which is now open.

 

Valley of the Queens

Houses over 70 tombs but many are little more than caves devoid of decoration. The tombs: Amun-hir-khopshef, son of Ramses II, contains some of the finest murals on the necropolis; Khaemwese, son of Ramses III, similar in decoration but more elaborate than his brother’s tomb; Queen Titi, a queen of the Ramessid period, whose simple tomb has remarkably vivid likenesses of gods and demons. The impressive tomb of Queen Nefertari, wife of Ramses II, has been recently reopened.

 

Sound and Light-Karnak

The Sound and Light Show at Karnak is an impressive presentation of visual and sound effects that brings to life the history of Karnak Temple. Shows are given in the following languages: Arabic, English, Japanese, German, Spanish, Italian, French and Russian.

 

North and South of Luxor:

Abydos

Lies about 165 km north of Luxor, near Balliana. Home of Osiris, god of the dead, this was a burial site for kings as far back as the First Dynasty. Of the remaining monuments, the most interesting is the Temple of Seti I, with its fine reliefs and the King List, which records most of the earlier pharaohs in the order of their reigns.

 

Dendera

Lies approximately 60 km north of Luxor, opposite Qena, the Temple of Hathor, goddess of love and joy, and is an excellent example of Ptolemaic building styles, containing a reproduction of the famous circular zodiac relief, the original of which is