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Luxor
has often been called the worlds
greatest open air museum, as
indeed it is and much more. The
number and preservation of the
monuments in the Luxor area are
unparalleled anywhere else in
the world that know of.
Actually, what most people think
of as Luxor is really three
different areas, consisting of
the City of Luxor on the East
side of the Nile, the town of
Karnak just north of Luxor and
Thebes, which the ancient
Egyptians called Waset, which is
on the west side of the Nile
across from Luxor.
Right - The west bank across the
Nile from Luxor.
To
say that the Luxor area is a
major attraction for tourists in
Egypt would be an
understatement. It has been a
tourist destination since the
beginning of tourism. Even in
ancient times, during the late
Dynasties of the Greek and Roman
periods, the area drew tourists,
and has been doing so ever
since. Today Luxor is well
equipped to accommodate tourists
with many hotels and in general
a tourist industry ready and
willing to serve the people from
many countries that descend on
this area of the Nile Valley
every year.
Within Luxor, there are only
three main streets consisting of
Sharia al-Mahatta, Sharia al-Karnak
and the Corniched, next to the
Nile. The street in front of
the train station is Sharia al-Mahatta
and runs away from the Nile
where it meets the gardens of
Luxor Temple. Sharia al-Karnak,
or Maabad al-Karnak which means
Karnak Temple Street runs along
the Nile from Luxor Temple to
Karnak Temple. However, Sharia
al-Karnak is known as Sharia
al-Markaz where it meets Sharia
al-Mahatta street, and to the
south around the temple it is
known as Sharia al-Lokanda.
Along this street one will find
the colorful signs of
restaurants and cafes, as well
as bazaars where the usual
variety of Egyptian souvenirs
can be found. Of interest is
the alabaster, which is
plentiful along the west bank
and miled not far from here.
Also look for the clay pots used
by the locals for cooking, which
are more unusual.
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Luxor
today is a city of some 150,000
people and is governed by
special statues that allow it
more autonomy then other
political areas of Egypt. One
thing you might notice is that
various government and other
buildings confirm to an
'ancient' building code.
Particularly, the National bank
of Egypt (located near the
winter palace), the spa south of
the police station, and the
railway station are all designed
to appear as pharaonic
constructs. All of this
occurred after the
Egyptianization of the modern
town resulting mostly from the
mania that resulted from Howard
Carter's discovery of the Tomb
of Tutankhamun. As one might
think, the city has all the
amenities tourists might expect,
including a variety of hotels,
bars, nightclubs and
restaurants.
In
Luxor proper on the East Bank,
one of the first stops must be
the
Temple of Luxor built by
Amenophis III. Head
south on Sharia al-Karnak to
reach the temple, which was
connected to the Karnak Temple
via a long stone processional
street called a dromos. The
dromos (Picture at right) was
built by Nectanebo I, and
originally was lined on either
side by sphinxes. In front of
the Luxor temple, the dromos is
well preserved, and on the way
to the entrance one passes by a
Roman chapel of burnt brick
dedicated to the god Serapis,
which was built during the rule
of Hadrian. There is a path
that leads to the Nile side of
the Temple where one enters the
complex.
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After
leaving Luxor, head back to
Sharia al-Karnak and go north
towards Karnak. Down the road,
near the police station which is
near the tomb is the oldest
mosque in Luxor, the El-Mekashkesh
Mosque. It contains the remains
of a 10th century Islamic saint
who rumor has it was a monk
prior to converting to Islam.
The mosque is a popular
pilgrimage destination. Here
also is the Franciscan Church
and its schools, one for boys
and the other girls. Beyond this
lies a great Coptic basilica.
At
the Police station, head towards
the Nile Corniche. Here,
opposite the Mina Palace Hotel
you will find the Mummification
Museum, which has most anything
you would ever want to know
about mummifications. From
here, head north towards Karnak.
About halfway to Karnak, you
will discover the Luxor Museum.
(The image at left is a Block
Statue of Iamu Negh from the
Luxor Museum). It should
certainly be
visited if you plan a well
rounded and educated
experience. While this is a
small museum, most of the relics
are from the surrounding area
and provide considerable insight
to the monuments you will visit.
From
the Museum, head back to Sharia
al-Karnak and continue north
towards Karnak. After crossing
a small bridge one will begin to
see the excavated dromos off the
road and running through a small
village. A little further on you
will pass the ruins of the
Temple of Mut where another
dromos leads to the gateway of
the tenth pylon. The road
finally arrives at the domed
tombs of two saints, Sidi Ahmed
and Sidi Ali, where a road leads
past the Department of
Antiquities leads to the main
Temple of Karnak entrance.
This road is built along a canal
that once connected the Nile to
the Temple. There was a dock in
ancient times, but now all that
is left is the quay and the
raised dais. Just past that is
a red brick Roman dock and past
that two paved ramps led to the
river bank.
They are bordered
by stone parapets, and were
built during the rule of Taharqa.
Past these is the Chapel of
Achoris, which received the
sacred boat of Amun when it was
used in ceremonies.
To
arrive at the entrance one
follows the dromos with its crio-sphinxes.
They have the head of a Ram and
the body of a lion and are
symbolic of the God Amun.
Arriving at the temple, there is
a statue of Ramesses II with his
son between his feet.
To
the right is a structure that
has red steps, a red front
colonnade and red brick walls.
Inside there are pedestals.
inscribed with the names of
Roman emperors, that once held
their statues. This was a Roman
chapel dedicated to imperial
worship. After leaving the
Temple complex on the left is
the Franco-Egyptian Center which
has managed the temple complex
since 1967. Down on the shore
of the Nile is the Centre
National dl la Recherche
Scientifque, or CNRS, which
houses the French and the
Chicago House, a project of the
University of Chicago is near
by.
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After this, you will wish to
take a boat trip over to the
West bank. This trip had a
special meaning to the
Egyptians, for they were more
crossing the way to the West and
life, then to a necropolis. The
Valley of the Kings
is as good as any to try first,
with tombs from the 18th and
19th Dynasties. Outside the
Valley of the Kings, the road
leads past Antef, named for the
11th Dynasty prices who were
buried here. Some tombs can
still be seen as one heads
towards the Temple of Seti I.
Most of what is left of Seti's
Temple is the view.
The court
is entered by the ruined gate of
a pylon The court has what is
left of a palace on the south
side. The road continues south
passing Dra-Abu el-Naga
necropolis.
The
road eventually winds itself
westward until reaching the
Valley of
Asasif. These are
25th and 26th Dynasty tombs.
At
the end of of the Valley of Asasif at the foot of a cliff
named
Deir
el-Bahri is a
spectacular complex of temples.
The Temple of Mentuhetep I,
Hatshepsut and Thotmose II here
must be seen. Much of the
architecture here seems so very
powerful against the towering
cliffs in the background. From
here, the road continues past
the remains of the temples of
Ramesses IV and Thutmose III,
eventually reaching the
Necropolis of Sheikh Abd el-Qurna.
This 18th Dynasty necropolis
sits amidst houses where there
are hundreds of holes. And
below here, one comes to the
famous
Ramesseum, built by
Ramesses II, a huge complex that
took twenty years to complete.
As
the road runs along past the
remains of Thutmose IV,
Merneptah, Ay and Horemheb's
Temples, it finally comes to the
huge complex known as
Medinet Habu, which
is another of Thebe's major
attractions and a must see
sight. The gate has square
towers and appears almost
oriental. Behind the complex is
the workmen's village called
Deir
el-Medina. Out in the
fields near here is the
Colossi of Memnon,
one of the major tourist
attractions throughout time.
Southwest of Deir el-Medina is
the
Valley of the Queens,
where queens of the 18th and
19th Dynasties were buried.
From here, the road continues
past the mudbrick remains of the
Amenhotep III's palace called
Malkatta. There is a
lake to the east and at the
other end of that, a small Roman
temple called Deir Shelwit and
built at the end of the 1st
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