Hotels Luxor
What to see by car: Luxor
 
This region of Egypt is dominated by the Luxor/Karnak/Thebes open-air museum,
filled with awe-inspiring monuments of ancient civilization. On the east bank
of the Nile are the Luxor and Karnak temples; on the west bank is the City of
the Dead: the Tombs of the Nobles, the Valley of the Kings, and Queen Hatshepsut's
Temple.
Head towards Karnak to see the oldest mosque in Luxor, the El-Mekashkesh Mosque.
It contains the remains of a 10th century Islamic saint who is rumoured to have
been a monk prior to converting to Islam.
You can also take a boat trip over to the west bank. From there, head to the
Valley of the Kings, home to tombs from the 18th and 19th dynasties. Outside
the Valley of the Kings, the road leads past Antef, named for the 11th dynasty
princes who were buried here. Some tombs can still be seen as you go towards
the Temple of Seti I. For a fee (and remember to bring a stick to beat off hustlers!)
you can enter some of the world's oldest tombs and catch a glimpses of the décor
that hints at the wealth that must have been contained within before being plundered
by tomb robbers. The experience of descending deep into musky chambers thousands
of years old is truly creepy and intriguing.
The road eventually winds itself westward until reaching the Valley of Asasif.
These are 25th and 26th dynasty tombs. At the end of the Valley of Asasif, at
the foot of a cliff named Deir el-Bahri, is a spectacular complex of temples
belonging to: Mentuhetep I, Hatshepsut and Thutmose II.
From here, the road continues past the remains of the temples of Ramses IV
and Thutmose III, eventually reaching the Necropolis of Sheikh Abd el-Qurna.
This 18th dynasty necropolis sits amid houses where there are hundreds of holes;
below is the famous Ramesseum, built by Ramses II, a huge complex that took
20 years to complete.
Sailing on the river in a felucca is a relaxing way to spend an afternoon,
while a sunset cruise is the perfect way to end the day. The favoured destination
is Banana Island (Gezira el-Mozh), a lush peninsula 4kms upriver, where visitors
are charged a small fee to land. There are souvenir and drinks stalls.
Another impressive, unique and somewhat bizarre site is the two lonely seat
Colossi of Memnon statues who appear to be guarding the far off Valley of the
Kings, as they have done for thousands of year.
Selection of hotels in this region:
Sheraton Luxor Resort | | Mercure Luxor | |
Click below for a
full list of hotels and online booking
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