A wonderful tour around Luxor City Egypt 1

Luxor Governorate is an Egyptian governorate located in the southern Upper Egypt region. Its centres and cities are distributed on the banks of the Nile River. Its capital is Luxor, which represented the city of Thebes, the capital of Egypt during several Pharaonic eras. The governorate was established by Republican Decree No. 378 of 2009, issued in December 2009. The name of the governorate from the name of its capital, Luxor, whose names have multiplied throughout the ages.

The governorate has a rare group of archaeological sites, many of which are still preserved in their condition, and the most famous of them are Luxor Temple, Karnak Temples, Tombs of the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Queens, funerary temples, the Temple of Esna and others, in addition to the unique artefacts displayed by the Luxor Museum. The capital of the province (Thebes) remained the capital of Egypt until the beginning of the Sixth Pharaonic Dynasty, when the capital moved to (Memphis) in the north.

Second: the city of Luxor

Luxor is called the City of the Hundred Gates of the Sun, previously known as Thebes. It was the capital of Egypt in the Pharaonic era, located on the banks of the Nile River, which divides it into two halves, the eastern mainland and the western mainland. It is the capital of Luxor Governorate, in southern Egypt, located between latitudes 25-36 north. From 32-33 east, and away from the Egyptian capital Cairo, about 670 km, bounded on the north by the centre of Qus and Qena governorate, south by the centre of Edfu and Aswan on the east by the Red Sea governorate. To the west, by the centre of Armant and the New Valley Governorate, the closest seaports to the city are the port of Safaga, and the nearest airport to it is Luxor International Airport.

The city of Luxor has a unique character that distinguishes it from all parts of the world. It combines the past and the present at the same time. There is no place in the city of Luxor without a trace that speaks to the greatness of the ancient Egyptians thousands of years ago.

The city of Luxor is considered the most important tourist resort in Egypt and a focus of attraction for lovers of the Pharaonic civilization. The city is distinguished by the unique character that distinguishes it from all parts of the world, as it is one of the most important tourist attractions in Egypt. It includes the most ancient antiquities, in which no place is devoid of speaking effect By the greatness of the ancient Egyptians thousands of years BC.

Label:

The city of Luxor was given many names throughout the different ages. At its beginning, it was called the city of “West”, then the Romans called it “good” after that, and it was also called the city of a hundred gates, as described by the Greek poet Homer in the Iliad, as well as the “city of light.” And “the city of the sceptre”, and with the beginning of the Islamic conquest of Egypt, the Arabs called it “Luxor”, the plural of the word palace, as the city used to contain many of the palaces of the pharaohs. The ancient Egyptian state around 2575 BC.

History :

The city of Thebes (now Luxor) is an ancient Pharaonic museum city in Upper Egypt and one of the capitals of ancient Egypt during the middle and modern kingdoms in the days of the ancient Egyptians.

Thebes (Luxor today) was the centre of the worship of the idol “Ra”, and most of the Egyptian pharaohs, especially during the modern state during the eras of the Pharaohs, were interested in building temples there for the various gods of the ancient Egyptians, the most important of which was “Amun Ra.”

There is good (Luxor now) on the eastern bank of the Nile, and the capital, temples and palaces of the Pharaohs were built on it, and it had a mayor throughout the ages. The temples were considered immortal, so they were built from heavy stones, including the House of the Million Years and was also built of stones. As for the palaces of the Pharaohs. And the houses of the inhabitants were built of mud bricks, as they are not for eternity, so there was nothing left of the palaces of the Pharaohs, while the temples remained.

The ancient Egyptians considered Thebes (Luxor) and the eastern shore of the Nile to be the abode of life, in which they live, live and go to worship in the temples next to them. They considered the West the abode of death, and they built their graves in it, so we find the Valley of the Kings in the west of Thebes with a few temples. Including the Karnak Temple was in the city of neighbourhoods on the eastern bank of the Nile.

In the capital Thebes (Luxor now), there are about 14 of the most important ancient Egyptian temples. One of the most famous monuments on the east bank of the Nile is the colonnade of Karnak, which has witnessed many modifications over the centuries by many pharaohs such as Queen Hatshepsut, King Tuthmosis III, King Ramses II and others, as it is located next to it. King Ramses II built Luxor Temple.

The main gate of the Karnak Temple is located at the end of its north, and in front of it were two obelisks, one of which was taken to Paris, France in 1836 AD, which adorned the “Concorde” square in it, and at the end of the north of the city spread a group of Karnak temples and was built over 1500 years, to become the largest religious facility in the world It is famous for its 134 large colonnades, and its artificial lake from the era of the pharaohs.

And between the temples of Luxor and Karnak, there is the road of rams and other temples, and on the west bank of the Nile was the land of the dead, where there are funerary temples and hundreds of tombs. One of the largest and most famous of these funerary temples is the Ramesseum temple of King Ramses II, dating back to 19. With its ruins, there is a huge statue of King Ramses II, as well as On the West Bank, there is the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Queens, and Deir al-Madina, which is the city of workers who used to build tombs of the Pharaohs near them.

The funerary temple of Queen Hatshepsut (Temple of Hatshepsut) of the 18th family in Deir el-Bahari, west of the Nile, is an architectural masterpiece. It was built during the early 15th century BC on a steep slope, and the most famous monuments in the West Bank are the Valley of the Kings, where a tomb was found. King Tutankhamun, and the tombs of Thutmose III, Ramses III, fourth and fifth, and Seti the First, and the tomb of King Horemheb and its walls are depicted in relief.

Historical monuments in Luxor:

First: Landmarks of the East Bank:

Luxor temple :

This temple was built for the idol Amun Ra, who celebrated his wedding feast to his wife – death – once a year. Hence, the procession of this idol moved from the Karnak temple on the Nile to the Luxor temple, and the building of the temple goes back to the pharaohs King Amenhotep III and King Ramses II, the entrance to the temple begins with the edifice built by Ramses The second is by two huge statues that represent him seated. The temple is preceded by two obelisks, one of which is still standing, and the other adorns the Place de la Concorde in Paris. Following this edifice is the courtyard of Ramses II, which is surrounded on three sides by two rows of columns in the form of a papyrus beam supported. In the northeastern part, there is now the Abu Al-Hajjaj Mosque.

The rest of the temple was built by Amenhotep the Third, and it begins with the huge hypostyle hall with fourteen columns divided into two rows. Then we reach the large open courtyard surrounded on three sides by two rows of columns – then we reach the collonaded hall, and it includes 32 columns – and we proceed inside the temple to reach the boat room The Holy One, Alexander the Great, was able to construct a small shrine for him bearing his name inside the shrine of Amenhotep III. Finally, we reach the Holy of Holies, where the room of the holy statue has four columns.

Karnak Temple :

The greatest place of worship in history, and it includes many unparalleled temples, including the temple of the idol Amun and his goddess wife (Mut) and their deified son (Khonsu), the god of the moon, according to the beliefs of the Pharaohs, and has been known since the Arab conquest by the name of Karnak, meaning fortress. The temple begins with a road to rams represented To the god Amun; here, it symbolizes the power of fertility and growth. Under its heads were sculpted statues of King Ramses II.

The temple begins with the passage from the first edifice that goes back to King Nakhtbo (family 30) and the large courtyard. On the right of the interior, there are three chapels of the Theban Triad from the reign of Seti II, and on the left, one sees the temple of Ramses III. The remnants of the second pylon follow this, and from it to the great pillar hall that contains 134 columns, which are distinguished by their height from the rest of the columns. The place leads us to the remnants of the third edifice, where the stele of Thutmose. The first stands, and from there to the remains of the fourth pylon, and the obelisk of Hatshepsut is seen ahead. Then you see the remains of the fifth pylon, and from it to Jerusalem The Holies and at the end of the tour, you reach the courtyard dating back to the era of the Middle Kingdom, and from there to the huge celebration hall with columns dating back to the reign of Thutmose III.

Luxor Museum: It is located between the temples of Luxor and Karnak, and the museum includes the Pharaonic archaeological collections found in Luxor and the surrounding areas.

Mummification Museum: The Mummification Museum is located in Luxor on the Nile Corniche north of the Luxor Temple, and this museum aims to highlight the techniques of the ancient Pharaonic art of mummification that the ancient Egyptians applied to many creatures and not only to humans, as mummies of cats, fish and crocodiles are displayed in this unique museum, as we can also find out the methods that were used in that process

Second, features of the West Bank:

Valley of the Kings

Valley of the Queens

Medinet Habu Temple (memorial temple to King Ramses III)

Ramesseum Temple (memorial temple to King Ramses II)

Deir el-Madinah (seat of the families of workers and craftsmen during the era of the modern Egyptian kingdom)

Tombs of the Nobles

Deir al-Bahari (the mortuary temple of Hatshepsut, and other temples …)

Almqqata (remnants of the palace of Amenhotep III)

Colossi of Memnon (all that remains from the memorial temple of Pharaoh Amenhotep III)

Nakht Tomb: Its inscriptions show the sophistication of the Egyptian artist.

Cemetery Minna: Writer of the royal loss during the reign of King Tuthmosis the Fourth.

Cemetery of Ra Mas: one of the great statesmen during the reign of Amenhotep the Third and Akhenaten – and inside the cemetery are inscriptions representing Akhenaten and his wife, Nefertiti. A visitor to Luxor can see the Temple of Dendara and the Temple of Esna.

Dendera Temple:

It is located on the western mainland of Qena, about 60 km north of Luxor, and is one of the Greco-Roman temples. It was started by King Ptolemy III and added to it by many of the Ptolemaic Roman emperors. It has a famous scene that represents Queen Cleopatra and her son Cesarion Julius Caesar. Its ceilings are famous for the many astronomical scenes that include the celestial constellations. Among the religious landmarks in Luxor is the Abi Al-Hajjaj Mosque in Luxor. Inside the Luxor Temple, the Coptic Church is adjacent to the mosque in the same Luxor temple.

Monasteries:

Deir Al-Shayeb, located 7 km north of the city, Monastery Marjirjis is located on the western mainland, Deir Al-Muhareb is located 4 km from the port on the western mainland.

Note: In the coming days, all these historical and tourist attractions in Luxor will be discussed in detail.

Luxor City, Luxor Governorate, Egypt