Luxor Temple on the East Bank of the Nile at twilight.
T plus 84 - Luxor
If you like Pharaonic history and ancient monuments built in their name, then look no further. Come straight to Luxor. It is home to the single largest collection of Egyptian tombs, temples and time-worn treasures in all of Egypt. Most people would associate the Pyramids of Giza and the city of Memphis, also near Cairo, with Old Egypt. But the Giza plateau hosts only a single complex, and Memphis, the capital of the Old Kingdom has largely disappeared into the sands of time. The buildings at Luxor, on the other hand, have been stunningly preserved. The real challenge of coming to Luxor is to choose what to see, because there's so much to absorb.
The city of Luxor was formerly known as Thebes, the capital of Egypt in the Middle and New Kingdoms, from about 2,000BC. This was one of the most successful periods of the nation-state and saw the rule of many of Egypt's most well-known pharaohs. They also built a staggering array of complexes and temples (in their own names) to immortalise their legacies, and to keep up a steady stream of worshipers which would continue to provide them with sustenance in the afterlife. Many of the pharaohs of the Middle Kingdom, and most from the New Kingdom chose Thebes as their primary residence as well as their final resting place. As a result, necropolises (necropoli?) like the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens are said to contain the richest treasures known to man. So far, a hundred over tombs have been excavated, including the one of Tutankhamen or "King Tut", and so far, the finds have been nothing short of spectacular.
It is not possible to see all of Luxor in one day, due to the massive area it covers. It's probably not a good idea to see everything in one trip either, because after a dozen or so temples, you're kinda susceptible to pharaoh-fatigue. The best way is to read up on the history of Luxor and Thebes and carefully choose what you want to see, armed with background information to put things into context. Of course, I did no such thing and plunged straight into the thick of it. Not wise, because now I have to reconcile what I remember seeing and what's in the history books. And I'm sure I must have missed many things.
Nevertheless, I've found that the most satisfying way to explore Luxor is by bicycle. Be prepared to cycle about 20-25km for a complete-ish circuit. It sounds like a lot, but the miles really fly by when you're whizzing past the ruins of one of the world's greatest civilisations. Couple that with the Indiana Jones theme playing in your head and you've got the makings of a pretty magnificent day. If only I had a motorcycle. And a sidecar. And some Nazis in hot pursuit.
Some photos from my walkabouts. And ride-abouts.
If you like Pharaonic history and ancient monuments built in their name, then look no further. Come straight to Luxor. It is home to the single largest collection of Egyptian tombs, temples and time-worn treasures in all of Egypt. Most people would associate the Pyramids of Giza and the city of Memphis, also near Cairo, with Old Egypt. But the Giza plateau hosts only a single complex, and Memphis, the capital of the Old Kingdom has largely disappeared into the sands of time. The buildings at Luxor, on the other hand, have been stunningly preserved. The real challenge of coming to Luxor is to choose what to see, because there's so much to absorb.
The city of Luxor was formerly known as Thebes, the capital of Egypt in the Middle and New Kingdoms, from about 2,000BC. This was one of the most successful periods of the nation-state and saw the rule of many of Egypt's most well-known pharaohs. They also built a staggering array of complexes and temples (in their own names) to immortalise their legacies, and to keep up a steady stream of worshipers which would continue to provide them with sustenance in the afterlife. Many of the pharaohs of the Middle Kingdom, and most from the New Kingdom chose Thebes as their primary residence as well as their final resting place. As a result, necropolises (necropoli?) like the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens are said to contain the richest treasures known to man. So far, a hundred over tombs have been excavated, including the one of Tutankhamen or "King Tut", and so far, the finds have been nothing short of spectacular.
It is not possible to see all of Luxor in one day, due to the massive area it covers. It's probably not a good idea to see everything in one trip either, because after a dozen or so temples, you're kinda susceptible to pharaoh-fatigue. The best way is to read up on the history of Luxor and Thebes and carefully choose what you want to see, armed with background information to put things into context. Of course, I did no such thing and plunged straight into the thick of it. Not wise, because now I have to reconcile what I remember seeing and what's in the history books. And I'm sure I must have missed many things.
Nevertheless, I've found that the most satisfying way to explore Luxor is by bicycle. Be prepared to cycle about 20-25km for a complete-ish circuit. It sounds like a lot, but the miles really fly by when you're whizzing past the ruins of one of the world's greatest civilisations. Couple that with the Indiana Jones theme playing in your head and you've got the makings of a pretty magnificent day. If only I had a motorcycle. And a sidecar. And some Nazis in hot pursuit.
Some photos from my walkabouts. And ride-abouts.
First boat out at sunrise (5.30am). Actually, second boat, because I was on the first. You've got to get up early if you want to catch the light and avoid being cooked by the 45 degree sun in the mid-afternoon.
The Colossi of Memnon, depicting Pharaoh Amenhotep III. If you look carefully at the closest statue you can see his wife. She's next to his right leg, about a quarter of his size. Yes, it's awfully sexist, but it was normal at the time to portray women this way, even if they were royal consorts.
Medinat Habu, funerary temple of Ramses III, the last great Pharaoh of Egypt. This is the second largest funerary temple after Karnak Temple (see below).
The pics in the middle show how well the colours of the paint on the wall-reliefs have been preserved. And see if you can find the Malaysian boy in his Indiana-Jones-shadow-against-the-ancient-ruins moment.
The pics in the middle show how well the colours of the paint on the wall-reliefs have been preserved. And see if you can find the Malaysian boy in his Indiana-Jones-shadow-against-the-ancient-ruins moment.
Deir al-Bahri, funerary temple of Pharaoh Hatshepsut, one of the very few female pharaohs.
Its been extensively (and aggressively) restored, however. CNN Travel called it a Romanian bus depot, but I think that's a bit unkind. The restoration isn't to my taste, but it does provide some insight into how a complex like this would have looked like back in the day. Regardless, the temple's location, carved right into the mountain-side is as picturesque as they come.
Its been extensively (and aggressively) restored, however. CNN Travel called it a Romanian bus depot, but I think that's a bit unkind. The restoration isn't to my taste, but it does provide some insight into how a complex like this would have looked like back in the day. Regardless, the temple's location, carved right into the mountain-side is as picturesque as they come.
The Valley of the Kings. Strictly no photography. Anywhere on the grounds or in the tombs, and this is pretty rigorously policed. So these images were errr... found. Apologies for the slightly noisy images. The err... photographer had to use super high ISO for some rapid hit-and-run picture-taking.
From Top to Bottom: Over 60 tombs have been excavated here, and these are only two of them; the tombs start from a small entrance, and expand downwards via a network of subterranean tunnels and chambers; this is one of the prettiest ones - the tomb of Ramses VI with stunning colours and a night-inspired ceiling.
From Top to Bottom: Over 60 tombs have been excavated here, and these are only two of them; the tombs start from a small entrance, and expand downwards via a network of subterranean tunnels and chambers; this is one of the prettiest ones - the tomb of Ramses VI with stunning colours and a night-inspired ceiling.
The extraordinary Temple of Karnak. It isn't attributed to only one pharaoh - due to the massive scale and complexity of the project it was presided over by Amenhotep III, Seti I and Ramses II, and others over a 1,500 year period, who proceeded to carve over each other's achievements depicted on the wall-reliefs.
Top 2 pics: The front, and rear view of Karnak Temple. It's a 2 square kilometre site, so you can't actually see the front when you're at the back. Yes, it's that huge.
Middle two pics. Columns supporting what used to be the roof of the 6000 square metre Great Hypostyle Hall. It's hard to convey how big this hall is via photos, but basically each of the columns is as wide as a car. And the second pic shows how many deep they go on one side of the hall. There are altogether 134 of them.
Bottom pic: The avenue of ram-headed sphinxes, symbolising the god Amun, at the first pylon of Karnak Temple. The effigy between their paws is of Ramses II, portrayed as the god Osiris.
Top 2 pics: The front, and rear view of Karnak Temple. It's a 2 square kilometre site, so you can't actually see the front when you're at the back. Yes, it's that huge.
Middle two pics. Columns supporting what used to be the roof of the 6000 square metre Great Hypostyle Hall. It's hard to convey how big this hall is via photos, but basically each of the columns is as wide as a car. And the second pic shows how many deep they go on one side of the hall. There are altogether 134 of them.
Bottom pic: The avenue of ram-headed sphinxes, symbolising the god Amun, at the first pylon of Karnak Temple. The effigy between their paws is of Ramses II, portrayed as the god Osiris.
Luxor Temple at dusk and lit up at night. This wasn't a funerary temple, rather a temple dedicated to the gods Amun, Mut and Khons. Conceived and built in the time of the New Kingdom, about 2000BC, by Amenhotep III and Ramses II, this place has been built-over, carved-over and made-over by successive rulers, including Alexander the Great, the Romans and the Arabs who built a mosque in its courtyard in the 13th century.
Do you see the Obelisk? I tried, but I couldn't find anything resembling an Asterisk. No, it's not lame at all.
Do you see the Obelisk? I tried, but I couldn't find anything resembling an Asterisk. No, it's not lame at all.
Scenes from the boats criss-crossing the Nile at sunset.
