Category: Luxor Attractions

Temple of Esna

A lot of people visit Pharaonic land all through the year. Luxor was the most important city in ancient Egypt. Most of Egypt’s temples and monuments from the past are in this city. Because Luxor was the capital of the New Empire, a lot of the things to see and do there are from that time.

There are also memorials from more recent times. The Temple of Esna is one of the temples that have been kept in Luxor. The city of Esna, 50 km south of Luxor, is where the Temple is.

How the Temple of Esna came to be

During the time of the Ptolemies and the Romans, the city of Esna was called “Lunyt,” and it was the capital of Nomo III of Upper Egypt. “Temple of Jnum” is another name for the Temple of Esna.

The Temple was dedicated to the three gods of Esna: Jnum, Anuket, and Seshat. The temple was built during the XVII Dynasty, when Thutmosis III and Amenhotep II were kings. Then, during the time of the Ptolemies and the Romans, it was made bigger.

As a Greek-Roman name, it was called “Lates Niloticus” (Nile Perch). The goddess Neith was linked to this name (goddess of hunting and fishing).

When the Temple of Esna was built

The most important part of the Temple of Esna is the hypostyle room, which was started during the reign of Tiberius. The room is the part of the Temple that is best kept. The front of the room is made up of columns and small windows that let light in.

There are 24 14-meter-tall columns in the room. The most noticeable thing is that the tops of the columns are shaped like flowers. Large slabs were used to build the ceiling. They were decorated with bas-reliefs that showed a pharaoh with gods, the hunt for the pharaoh, signs of the zodiac, astronomical events, and a calendar of holidays.

In the courtyard in front of the Temple is a single statue of the goddess Menheyet with a lion’s head.

Over the Esna Temple

On the site where people used to worship Jnum, the Temple was built. Under all the broken pieces, the Temple of Esna was found. In 1860, only a small part had been dug up. The hypostyle room was dug out by Augustus Mariette. The Temple is 10 m below the surface of the ground.

Both the Temple of Dendera and the Temple of Edfu can be seen in the designs on the columns. Inscriptions in the Temple’s corridor of columns say that “Decius” was the Roman Emperor in the year 250 A.D.

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Egypt is full of beautiful and magical places that you shouldn’t miss the chance to see. It is also interesting and recommended to visit the ancient cities of Luxor and Aswan while taking a cruise on the Nile. If you want to see more of the land of the pharaohs, you can book one of our Egypt travel packages.

Temple of Abydos

Luxor is one of the most important cities in Upper Egypt because it has so many things to see and do. Most of the monuments are in Luxor, which was the capital for a long time. Because of this, the cities of Upper Egypt were given a lot of importance.

The importance of religion and its beliefs is shown by the pharaonic temples. Not only are there temples in Luxor, but there are also temples in other cities in Upper Egypt. The Temple of Abydos is one of the temples that stands out. This Temple is in Sohag, which is 135 km north of Luxor and 420 km south of Cairo.

How the Temple of Abydos came to be

During the time of Naqada I, people thought that the head of the god Osiris was buried in Abidos, so it was a place of worship and pilgrimage. From the Middle Empire, some buildings were found that were made in honour of the god Osiris.

Seti I was king of the XIX dynasty in the New Empire. He opened mines, fixed up temples that had been damaged, and finished building the Karnak Temple’s hypostyle room. Seti I wanted to build his temple right next to the “Stairway of the Great God.”

King Seti I built the Temple of Abydos in 1279. (father of Ramses II). His son Ramses II finished building the Temple of Abydos by adding two courtyards and a 62 m pylon.

How the Temple of Abydos was Built

The Temple looks like the letter “L.” White limestone was used to build the Temple. There are a number of courtyards, rooms, and a terrace. There are also seven chapels that are dedicated to Amon, Osiris, Isis, Horus, Ptah, and Ra, as well as King Seti I.

A short ramp that leads to 12 pillars is the way to get to the Temple. Three doors lead to three of the seven chapels. The main door leads to Amon’s chapel, and the other two lead to Osiris and Horus. Scenes like the building of the Temple, the birth of the King, and Ramses II being cleaned by Tut are painted on the walls of the rooms.

About the Abydos Temple

The “Royal List of Abydos” is a very important part of the Temple. In the Temple, there is a wall of a hall. It is a list of the 76 Pharaonic kings who came before King Seti I. The kings who came before Seti I are not on the list. There is another temple of Osiris near the Temple.

The Osiris Temple

This Temple is in the Kom El-Sultan area of Abidos. The Temple was first built for the god “Jenti-Amentiu,” but during the XII dynasty, it was changed to be for the god “Osiris.” Before the Greco-Roman era, it was thought to be a god of the dead.

There are a lot of stories about the Middle Kingdom and New Kingdom kings. There are also things left over from the 1st Dynasty, like a piece of a vase from the second Pharaoh of the 1st Dynasty, “Aha,” and stone figures of animals and people.

God Osiris is worshipped in the chapel of Osiris. There are two rooms for each of Osiris, Isis, and Horus in two sets of two cha

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Dendera Temple

Temples were very important in ancient Egyptian architecture, as shown by the Dendera Temple. It is clear that gods and religion were very important to the ancient Egyptians. Inscriptions on the walls and tombs of many Egyptian temples, especially in Luxor, tell us about the history of the Pharaohs.

The Dendera Complex is one of the most important temples in Egypt. The Complex is thought to be one of Egypt’s best-kept complexes. It is about 2.5 km southeast of Dendera and south of Abidos.

About how the Dendera Temple Complex came to be

The buildings that are still standing were made during the time of the Ptolemies. In 2250 B.C., the first building in the complex was put up. The Mentuhotep II monument, which was built in 1995 BC but moved to Cairo, is the oldest building on this site. The Mammisi monument, which was built by Nectanebo II in 345 BC, is the oldest building in the Complex.

The Temple of Hathor was built first, which led to the rest of the complex (the goddess of fertility but predynastic was a representative of love, beauty, and joy).

The Temple of Hathor is part of the Dendera Temple complex.

When the Dendera Complex was built

The size of the Complex is 40,000 m2. A 10 m high wall goes all the way around the Complex. Since the beginning of Ancient Egypt, chapels and sanctuaries have been built. Because it was buried in sand, the Complex is better kept. The Temple of Hathor is the most important temple in the group.

In the same area as the Temple of the Birth of Isis is another temple. There’s also a holy lake and an adobe health centre (it was used to bathe in the sacred water to obtain the healing of the goddess).

The Temple of Hathor

During the time of the Ptolemies, the Temple was built. It was finished during the reign of the Roman Emperor Trajan. The entrance to the Temple leads to a big hall with 18 columns that are each 15 metres tall. The goddess Hathor stands on top of each column (face of a woman with cow ears). On a blue background, hieroglyphics are drawn on the ceiling and walls.

Inside, there are 6 columns in the second hypostyle room, which is where the main sanctuary of the goddess is. There are small rooms, a treasure room, an offering room, and storage rooms on both sides. There is a crypt under the Temple where the papyri were kept.

The Twelve Signs of Dendera

On the ceiling of a chapel of the god Osiris is a copy of Dendera’s Zodiac. It is in the shape of a circle and has the signs of the zodiac: the ram, the bull, the twin of the sky, the crab, the Virgo, the lion, the scale, the scorpion, the goat, the archer, the water pots, and the fish with flashing tails. The original Zodiac is now in the Louvre Museum in Paris. It was moved there in 1820 so it could be used in Napoleon’s wars.

The Dendera Light Bulbs

In a corridor of the crypt, there are writings that look like the bulbs with big wire coils. The fact that they knew about electricity shows that they did. But Egyptologists say that the god Harsomtus, who was the son of the goddess Hathor and the god Horus, was born in the form of a snake inside a lotus flower, so these pictures show the birth of the god Harsomtus.

The trip to Upper Egypt

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Valley of the Nobles

Not only are the temples in Luxor interesting, but so are places like the Valley of the Nobles. The Egyptians thought that the dead would live forever after they died, so they built tombs for them. The west bank of the Nile is where most of Luxor’s tombs are.

There are two kinds of tombs in Luxor: Royal Tombs and Private Tombs. The Valley of the Kings is an example of a Royal Tomb (where nobles or those close to the kings are buried). In the Valley of the Nobles, this is one of the places where nobles are buried.

The History of the Valley of the Nobles

Only kings thought that they would live forever, so they were buried with their treasures, food, and everything else they would need in the life after death. Since the Middle Empire, nobles have thought that life goes on forever. In the New Empire, nobles were allowed to build their own tombs and make them look like kings’.

The Valley of the Kings is on the west side of the River Nile, west of Luxor. There were the bodies of ministers, priests, army soldiers, and officials from the king’s palace. The 17th, 19th, and 20th dynasties had most of the nobles.

How the Valley of the Nobles Was Built

There are more than 400 tombs carved into the rock in the Valley of the Nobles. On the front of the tombs, the title and name of the person whose tomb it is are written. Funerary cones are sometimes put at the entrance of the tomb. On the walls of the tombs are writings about the nobleman’s daily life and scenes from their funerals. There are six cemeteries in the Valley.

• Dra Abu El-Naga, where the tombs of high officials from the XVIIth and XIXth dynasties are located.
• El-Joja, where the tombs of the Old Empire and the XVII, XIX, and XX dynasties are located.
• El-Assasif: the tombs of the New Empire and others from the Third Intermediate Period.
• El-Tarif: the tombs from the end of the Second Intermediate Period and the start of the Middle Empire.
• Qurnet Murai is where the nobles of the New Empire are buried.
• Sheikh Abd El-Qurna; tombs of nobles from the XVIII Dynasty.

The Most Famous Tombs

• The Tomb of Rejmira (TT100); he was the vizier of the XVIII Dynasty, of King Thutmosis III and Amenhotep II. It is well-known for the artwork on its walls, which shows Rejmira’s work and hobbies, such as farming, hunting, funerals, and other crafts.
• The Tomb of Najt (TT 52); he was a priest, scribe, and astronomer of Amon during the reign of King Tutmosis IV in the XVIII Dynasty. The paintings on his tomb are very beautiful and show scenes from his life.
• The Tomb of Menna (TT69); he was a scribe of the Lord’s fields of the God of High and Low Egypt during the reigns of Thutmosis IV and Amenhotep III in the 18th Dynasty. His tomb was beautifully made. On the walls, there are drawings of Menna, his wife, and their children as they were.

A trip to the Valley of the Nobles

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The Valley of the Queens

There are many places to visit in Luxor, like the Valley of the Queens. When Luxor was the capital of the New Empire, it became a very important place. Because of their beliefs and religions, the pharaohs built a great civilization in this city. The west bank is where most of Luxor’s tombs are.

One of the famous royal tombs is in this part of the Valley of the Queens. The Valley of the Kings is to the southwest of this valley. It was built so that the queens, princesses, and their children from the New Empire could be buried there.

How the Valley of the Queens came to be

From 1550 B.C. to 1070 B.C., the queens of Egypt’s XVIII, XIX, and XX dynasties were buried in the Valley of the Queens. Later, princes, princesses, and some nobles were all laid to rest. During the XVIIIth and XIXth dynasties, most of the tombs were dug up. The goddess Hathor watched over the place.

“Ta Set Neferu,” which means “the place of beauty,” was the name people used for the Valley. In 1816, the first tomb was found (the tomb of Tyti). Twenty-four tombs were found in 1828. Ernesto Schiaparelli, an Italian, found the most famous and beautiful tomb in Luxor in 1903. It was the tomb of Nefertari. He was the last person to find the Valley of the Kings, which he did in 1906.

How the Valley of the Queens was built

There are more than 70 tombs of ancient Egyptian queens in the Valley of the Queens. In the rock, the tombs were dug out. The tombs are usually made so that there is a small room right next to the entrance. Then there was a high hallway. There are other rooms on both sides of the corridor. At the end of the hallway is the room where the dead are kept.

The tomb of Nefertari is the most well-known and beautiful of all the tombs. The tomb of Titi also has beautiful paintings, though some of them are broken. Other tombs were for Isis, Betanta, Henuttauy, Jaemuaset, Prince Menjeperre (son of Thutmosis III), Prince Ramses, Meritamon, and many others.

Nefertari’s grave

The 20th dynasty had a queen named Nefertari. Ramses II, Queen Nefertari’s husband, had her tomb built in 1290 BC. The tomb is in good shape. The tomb goes down 27 m. The decorations and paintings are easy to see.

After the entrance, there is a room to the right with pictures of sacrifices and drawings of the gods Osiris, Anubis, and the goddess Hathor. There are pictures of gods on the walls of the stairs that lead to the burial chamber.

In the burial chamber, 4 pillars show gods with Nefertari. The goddess Isis gives Queen Nefertari an Ankh on one of the pillars (one of the ancient Egyptian symbols representing eternal life).

Valley of the Queens excursions

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