Luxor Travel Guide
Luxor
Once upon a time the city of Luxor was the olden city of Thebes that enjoyed the ranks of being the Upper powerhouse of Egypt. This olden city has developed into a great modern city with various restaurants, souvenir shops and hotels. One of the main sources of income of this city comes from the tourism industry.
Most Important Tourist Attractions
Luxor Temple: The Luxor temple is situated in the center of the city and was built by New Kingdom Pharaoh Ramesses II and Amenhotep III. This particular temple was actually built in order to celebrate the Festival of Opet.
Luxor Museum of Mummification: This particular museum was inaugurated on May 1997 and is said to be one of the first dedicated museums of its kind to the subject of Mummification. This museum has only one big room where the tourists are taken on a tour of 56 exhibited archaeological items and a story board that describes the entire process of mummification. The religious beliefs of ancient people of Egypt are associated with the process of burial and mummification. This even helps in explaining with the development made by the civilization of Pharaohs in the field of anatomy, chemistry and medicine.
Luxor Museum: This Luxor Museum was initially opened in the year 1975 and stores in several art objects and antiquities from the period of Pharaohs to the period of Islam. This museum is housed in a modern style building of two storeys where tourists can reach the top floor with the help of an incline. All the objects that are on display are generally from the Theban temples and Necropolis on the countries west bank.
Temples of Karnak: This temple of Karnak is being assumed to be one of the largest existing religious complexes in the world. This temple is in fact located towards the northern part of the city. During the olden times, Karnak was known as Ipet-isut which means the “most select of places”. This temple of Karnak was built over1, 500 years ago and was one of the most sacred places of worship in the ancient Egypt. Some of the complexes comprise of obelisks, pylons, kiosks and sanctuaries that were dedicated to Theban Gods. These complexes were spread over the large area and one of the most outstanding structures within the complex are the Great Temple of Amun and Hypostile Hall.
Valley of the Kings: The valley of the king is one such place where the Pharaohs were being criminated after their death in the belief to meet the Gods in their journey of afterlife. Among the most outstanding places are the tombs of Ramesses II and Tutankhamun that were found in the year 1920.
Valleys of the Queens: The valley of Queens is one such place where the queens and their children were being criminated after their death. This place is located towards the southern portion of the necropolis. Nowadays, only four tombs are accessible for the tourists to view and one of the most outstanding tombs to visit is the tomb of Queen Nefertari.