Luxor Attractions

At the height of the Ancient Egyptian New Kingdom (1549—1069 BC) its capital, Thebes, was a city of over a million people. The pharaohs that ruled over this kingdom were made wealthy by military successes that expanded their influence south into Nubia, west along the Mediterranean, and east into modern day Syria. This wealth and the huge workforce at their disposal made it possible for the New Kingdom pharaohs to commission great building projects, attempting to immortalize their influence through the buildings they left behind.

Today in Luxor we still admire the efforts of these pharaohs to preserve their legacies in the great temple and funerary complexes that still stand on either side of the Nile at the site of ancient Thebes.
The most famous monuments in Egypt are undoubtedly in Giza on the outskirts of Cairo. The Giza Pyramids, with their unparalleled size and massive height, have captured people’s imaginations for millennia. These huge structures and the other pyramids scattered in the desert south of Cairo stand as incredible testament to the unprecedented development of civilization in the Nile Valley during the 3rd millennia BC; however, the pyramids represent only the beginning of the legacy of Ancient Egypt.

The civilization endured long after the decline of power around ancient Memphis and continued to develop. At Thebes, Ancient Egypt reached an even greater peak, memorialized with a very different style of monument.
Luxor is often referred to today as the ‘world’s largest open-air museum’. This name comes from the fact that the modern city is located at the same site as ancient Thebes. It has literally been built upon and around the treasures of the Old Kingdom, which are still being unearthed to this day. Surrounded by modern construction, Luxor Temple and the massive Karnak Temple Complex are two of Egypt’s most impressive sites. Their impact is only enhanced by the contrast of their ancient stone architecture with the modern construction that surrounds them.

Additionally, the area around Luxor and the opposite bank of the river are dotted with a wealth of other temples and tombs. It can take several days to explore all of the significant archaeological sites within only an hour’s drive of Luxor with each one displaying something unique that will add to your understanding of this ancient civilization that flowered here.

It is easiest to divide the sites around Luxor into two categories—those on the East Bank of the Nile and those on the West Bank. This division would have suited the ancient Egyptians as well since to them the East Bank was the land of the living, where the sun rose and people thrived, and the West Bank was the land of the dead, where the sunset and people journeyed into the afterlife. Luxor and the remains of ancient Thebes are located on the East Bank along with the temple complexes that were used to observe the ancient religion in life.

The sites on the West Bank are tombs and funerary temples, where Ancient Egyptians and their rulers were laid to rest begin their journey into the afterlife.
A special experience during your time in Luxor is to take dawn hot air balloon ride over the area. There is no better perspective to see why Luxor is known as an open-air museum and the views from altitude of the Nile and the surrounding landscape are stunning.

You will float over all of the sites on the East and West Banks of the Nile and viewing them from above you can truly appreciate their size and plans. The dawn light only adds to this stunning experience, turning the temples beautiful colors as the light rises and intensifies in the east.

Madinet Habu

While it is not among the most well-travelled sites on the West Bank, Medinat Habu is considered by many visitors to be among the most impressive sights they see in Luxor. This temple complex is impressively preserved, especially in comparison to the Ramesseum, on which its plan is based.

While the Ramesseum was built by a more famous pharaoh (Ramesses II), Medinat Habu, commissioned by Ramesses III, is a much more impressive sight with its pylon and many of its walls still intact and much more of the original painting visible on its carved surfaces.

Ramesses III (reign 1184—1153 BC) was the last of the great pharaohs of Egypt. After his reign, Egypt began a long decline that led to it being ruled by foreign powers for the majority of its history after the New Kingdom. After the empire stretched to its furthest extremes under Ramesses II, the pressure of invasion threats from multiple frontiers eventually proved too much.

Ramesses III is the last pharaoh to whom there are great building project attributed and this temples complex was the biggest of them.

During his reign, Medinat Habu functioned as a walled city with the temple and an administrative center inside of walls that protected the inhabitants of the area during hard times. Later on, the complex became a walled town for Coptic Christians living in the area.

The first impression of the temple is immediately imposing as you enter through a massive stone gate that seems out of place in Egypt. It is a Ptolomaic addition to the complex that hides the main feature of the complex behind it—the Temples of Ramesses III with its towering pylon with relief carvings still very well preserved, depicting the king defeating Egypt’s rivals from Libya and the Sea Peoples.

The temples continue from there into several courtyards with well-preserved reliefs and columns, many with their coloring still intact, and leading into a final hypostyle hall.

Deir Al Medinah (Workers’ Village)

Almost all of what we see today of Ancient Egypt is exclusively dedicated to the pharaonic royalty, The monumental building projects that the kings of Egypt commissioned have stood the test of time much better than artifacts from everyday Egyptian life due to their massive size and the fact that they are literally carved out of stone, but the triumphal imagery of the pharaohs in the temples and royal tombs around Luxor can become repetitive.

It nearly gives the false impression that the kings and queens of Egypt lived alone along the Nile. When you are suffering overload from all of the temples and royal tombs, a visit to the Workers’ Village (or the Tombs of the Nobles) provides a good change of pace and some welcome insight into the lives of more ‘normal’ ancient Egyptians.

Deir Al-Medinah is unique in that it is the lone example of a well-preserved Egyptian village near Luxor. Kings and queens did not live here; this was the home of the craftsmen that served them. Around 70 families lived on this site as state employed artisans to decorate the royal tombs.

These families were probably still somewhat wealthy relative to average people given their status as skilled artisans, but the small homes and humble private tombs found here give as good an indication of what life was like for ancient Egyptians as can be found anywhere else.

The small tombs are beautifully decorated, as one would expect of the tombs that the artists decorated for themselves and their families, and the imagery inside depicts simple scenes from their lives and families. It is a welcome contrast to the generic depictions of the afterlife found in the royal tombs at the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens.

The Ramesseum

Today relatively little remains of what is thought to have once been the most impressive temple complex on the West Bank of the Nile. Several clusters of pillars and a few damaged statues stand among a large field of ridges, holes, broken foundations, and pieces of statuary that mark out where the rest of the complex once stood. The reputation of this site is now tied more to the reputation of the man that commissioned it, rather than the appearance of its ruins.

Ramesses II is the name most often heard in association with many of the monuments around Luxor and further south. He was a prolific builder and also had a habit of repurposing existing monuments to add to his reputation.

He was the greatest conqueror in the history of Ancient Egypt, ruling for 67 years during the New Kingdom (1279—1213 BC) and extending the range of his kingdom into new frontiers in the south, west, and north in Syria.

This temple was dedicated to him and a testament to his power and influence and it was meant to be the greatest of all monuments.

Plundering by subsequent pharaohs, who could not afford to quarry their own stones, natural disasters, and finally this sites use as a church by early Egyptian Christians have all taken a toll on this once great structure, but even among the scattered ruins evidence of its greatness still persists

There are the remains of a toppled colossus of Ramesses II that is estimated to have stood over six stories tall, the largest freestanding sculpture ever in Egypt and one of the largest ever attempted anywhere in the world. The decoration of the remaining columns in the hypostyle hall is also impressive; showing the fine craftsmanship with defined the Ramesseum’s construction.

Though relatively little remains, the Ramesseum is still an exciting visit, especially for those with a particular interest in the life of Ramesses II, the greatest of the pharaohs.  Its layout was the inspiration for the much better-preserved temple complex at Medinat Habu, constructed by Ramesses III.

A visit there before arriving at the Ramesseum will give you a better impression of how this temple was meant to appear.

Luxor Temple

This temple might be the greatest testament to why Luxor has earned its nickname, “The World’s Largest Outdoor Museum”. Luxor Temple modern city of Luxor, which is built on the site of the ancient Egyptian capital of Thebes.
The temple is one of the best preserved of all of the ancient monuments with large amounts of the structure, statuary and relief carvings still intact, making it one of the most impressive visits in the Luxor area and all of Egypt. Adding significantly to its allure is the juxtaposition that its setting provides. The modern city begins on one side and the Nile drifts by on the other. There are few places in Egypt where one is put so immediately and clearly in touch with extraordinary length of Egypt’s history.

Amenhotep III, one of the great builders of ancient Egypt, constructed the temple during his New Kingdom reign, which lasted from 1390 to 1352 BC. In its current form, however, the temple appears to be one of the many projects the Ramesses II commissioned during his long reign. Builder, Ramesses also repurposed many existing monuments to add to his own reputation. The statuary and carvings that decorate the temple today mainly feature Ramesses II.

Luxor Temple, along with the temple complex of Karnak, are the most famous temple complexes around Luxor and they are both located on the East Bank of the Nile. In ancient times an avenue of sphinxes that ran the entire 3 kilometers between them to connect the two sites. This avenue is currently under excavation, but the section nearest to Luxor Temple has already been restored.

It's location in the heart of Luxor makes Luxor Temple a very easy site to visit at almost any time of the day. Even when it is not open to visitors, the temple is visible during a stroll down the Nile corniche or through downtown Luxor. We recommend visiting the temple around sunset. The complex is beautifully lit in order to highlight the relief carvings as the lighw wanes and the columns emblazoned against the evening sky make for an incredible photo opportunity

Temple of Hatshepsut

In terms of visual impact from afar, there is no rival to Hatshepsut’s Temples. The unique multi-tiered structure nestled up against the limestone cliffs at the shoulder of the river valley is a truly stunning sight.

The uniqueness of its layout mirrors that of the pharaoh responsible for building it.

Hatshepsut was the only female pharaoh in the history of Ancient Egypt. She came to power during the New Kingdom after the death of her father, Tuthmose I, and her half-brother and husband, Tuthmose II, who succeeded her father on the thrown.

She originally served as queen-regent to her husband’s son by another wife, Tuthmose III, but seized the thrown from him and managing to hold onto power until her death. However, Hatshepsut’s status as the only female to rule Egypt is not the only reason for her fame.

She was also a very successful pharaoh. She ruled over an era of peace and prosperity, expanding lucrative trade routes to the land of Punt in the south.

This accomplishment is immortalized in the relief carvings at her temple. She also contributed significant to many temples, including Karnak.

The temple was in ruins when it was discovered in the mid-19th century, having been heavily vandalized by Tuthmose III after he assumed the thrown, presumably because Hatshepsut had kept him from power.

The site was also used as a monastery during the early centuries AD, which probably contributed to its deterioration. As a result, it has been heavily restored.

Most of the columns are not original and much of the relief paintings have not been well preserved. For this reason, the temple can be a bit disappointing close up, especially given its popularity with tour groups.

The Tombs of the Nobles

Almost of what we see today of Ancient Egypt is exclusively dedicated to the pharaonic royalty. The monumental building projects that the kings of Egypt commissioned throughout the history of the civilization have stood the test of time much better than other ancient artifacts due to their massive size and the fact that they are literally carved out of stone.

The Tombs of the Nobles make for an interesting visit among the rest of the West Bank sites precisely because they break this trend. Located between the Ramesseum and Hatshepsut’s Temple, these clusters of tombs carved into a rocky hillside are all dedicated to administrators, governors, and other figures of minor nobility.

The triumphal imagery of conquering pharaohs and depictions of eternal life after death in the temples and royal tombs around Luxor can become repetitive. When you find yourself suffering from temple overload, a visit to the Tombs of the Nobles (or the Worker’s Village) might be a good idea.

In these tombs you will find more humble depictions of everyday life and the jobs that these functionaries fulfilled. The real-life depictions of nature and everyday concerns are refreshing and provide a bit more insight into what ancient Egypt might actually have been like.

The Tombs of the Nobles are not as well marked as the royal tombs and larger sites on the West Bank due to the relatively small number of visitors that they receive. This can make visiting them a bit more difficult without a guide, but it is still nice escape from the more crowded sites at the Valley of the Kings and more major temple complexes.

A separate ticket must be purchased at the West Bank ticket office for each tomb that you would like to visit.

Valley of the Kings

The Valley of the Kings is where the modern myth of Egypt began with Howard Carter’s discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, complete with all of the treasures with which he had been buried, in 1922. The fame of that discover ushered in a new era of Egyptian tourism as the treasures of Tutankhamun toured the world and generated new, widespread interest in the history of Ancient Egypt. The valley is not very impressive at first glance.

It is not much more than a sun-blasted gorge of generic, red rock, but hidden underneath the earth are the tombs of nearly 70 pharaohs. Excavation is ongoing in some of them, but many are open to visitors on a rotating schedule to allow for restoration. Seeing the ornate decorations on the walls of these tombs and imagining the painstaking process necessary to create them is well worth the visit even in the hottest months.

The richness of the finds here in the Valley of the Kings has kept archeologists busy for nearly two centuries. If all of the tombs here where open to visitors it would be nearly impossible to actually make it to all of them, but thankfully the possibility of such a huge task is eliminated for you.

The tourism authorities only open a few of the tombs at a time in order to allow for a continual cycle of upkeep and restoration. Regardless, there are certain to be several impressive tombs open at any one time. Be careful to heed the advice of your guide or guidebook on which ones to enter.
The most famous tombs are not necessarily the most impressive and a ticket to the Valley of the Kings only allows you to enter three tombs. A separate ticket is required to enter Tutankhamun’s tomb although you may find it a disappointing sight, especially given the extra cost.

Remember that Tutankhamun was a relatively minor pharaoh, made famous by the fact that his tomb is the only one the valley that was discovered with its contents still inside, not by the grandeur of his tomb relative to the others. Those contents are now on display in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

Make sure that you remember to buy tickets at the West Bank ticket office before arriving at the Valley of the Kings. Tickets for all sites on the west bank must be purchases at this office and cannot be purchases on location at any of the sites.

Valley of the Queens

Similar to the more famous Valley of the Kings, from above ground this valley looks rather unimpressive—a rocky, sun-baked valley scattered with simple stone entrances that lead into the tombs. Like at the Valley of the Kings, the intend here was to hide the entrances of the tombs to preserve them from looters so all of the decoration if found underground;

however, the builders here were no less successful in hiding these tombs over the millennia than they were at the Valley of the Kings. None of the tombs were found intact, but some of the decorations are impressively preserved.
It was not only queens that were buried here. The tombs in the Valley of the Queens were actually used for queens, princes, princesses, and other members of the royal family. Some of the most impressive tombs in the valley are actually those of the sons of Ramesses III, the building of Medinat Habu.

The decoration of the tomb is very similar to the tombs in the Valley of the Kings. Visitors who are worried they might get tired of repeated tomb viewings might even want to pass up the more crowded Valley of the Kings after visiting here.

Many tourists do the opposite and never visit this valley after seeing the tombs at the more famous site. Like at the Valley of the Kings, only a handful of the over 75 tombs that have been discovered here are open for visitors at any given time. The most impressive of all of them is the Tomb of Nerfertari, favorite wife of Ramesses II.

Colossi of Memnon

These two gigantic, 59-foots tall statues are the first sight that greets visitors who take the ferry across from the East Bank. They were made famous in antiquity by a mysterious sound emitted from one of them each sunrise. Scientists now think that this sound was caused by air passing through pores in the stone as it was warmed in the sunlight, but there is no way to confirm this since the sound stopped centuries ago.

Regardless of its cause, the sound was the source of the statues’ name as it caused the Greeks to believe that the statues were of the immortal Memnon.

In reality the statues are of Amenhotep III and his wife, Tiye, and they used to guard the entrance to a great temple complex that some believe might have rivaled Karnak in size. Amenhotep III, who ruled during the New Kingdom around the peak of Egypt’s historic power, is regarded as one of the most prolific builders of Ancient Egypt. This temple would have been the most significant of his building projects, but little remains of it today.

Archaeologists believe that the temple was quickly ruined by repeated plundering and because, unlike other monuments, it was located within the floodplain of the Nile. The limestone that the Egyptians used in construction was eroded away by centuries of exposure to the annual floodwaters.

Karnak Temple

When visiting Karnak, you are paying a visit to the heart of Egypt during the New Kingdom. This huge temple complex was the center of the ancient faith while power was concentrated at Thebes (modern day Luxor) and its significance is reflected in its enormous size. In addition to its religious significance, it also served as a treasury, administrative center, and palace for the New Kingdom pharaohs. Largest temple complex ever constructed anywhere in the world.

It developed over a period of 1500 years, added to by generation after generation of pharaohs and resulting in a collection of temples, sanctuaries, pylons, and other decorations that is unparalleled throughout Egypt.

While the height of its importance was during the New Kingdom and famous pharaohs such as Hatshepsut, Tuthmose III, Seti I and Ramesses II all contributed significant additions to the complex, construction continued into the Greco-Roman Period with the Ptolemy’s, Romans, and early Christians all leaving their mark here.

Karnak is divided into three compounds: the precinct of Amun, the precinct of Mut, and the precinct of Montu; however, for most visitors the largest of these, the precinct of Amun, is enough. Its complicated layout alone dwarfs every other site that you will visit in Egypt.

The precinct of Amun contains all of the most famous sections of the Karnak complex, including the dizzying Great Hypostyle Hall. This hall of 134 massive columns is one of the most impressive places in all of Egypt. Going into detailed description of the different elements that make up the complex is a near endless task that we will leave to a tour guide.

Instead, we will simply suggest that you allot plenty of time to explore this huge complex and admire the many impressive sights within it. Imagine how awe-inspiring it must have been over 2000 thousand years ago when these huge structures were newly constructed.
Like all of the major sights in Egypt, Karnak as has a sound and light show has is offered in several different languages. The show takes place 3 times a night, but you should consult your tour guide or your hotel about the languages of the various showings.