Egypt’s Luxor
For more than 1500 years, Luxor was the capital of Egypt. It has almost a third of the world’s monuments and temples that are still in good shape. It is where most of Egypt’s temples are found. One of the most popular places for tourists to visit in Egypt.
It is thought to be the best place to go in the winter to learn about history. It is in Upper Egypt on the east side of the Nile. It is 220 km north of Aswan and 700 km south of Cairo. It’s 416 km2. It is home to 500,000 people. It’s best to know about its great history.
How the Name Came to Be
The ancient Egyptians called it “Usat,” which means “sceptre,” and the Greeks called it “Thebes.” When the Arabs came to Egypt, they called it “Luxor or the city of 100 gates.” It was also known as the city of light and the city of the sun.
How Luxor came to be
The history of this city, which is one of the oldest in Egypt, goes back 7000 years. It was built during the fourth dynasty B.C. It was thought to be the tombs of ancient people. During the 11th dynasty, it was a centre for running the government.
Since the 11th dynasty, when it was the centre of art, religion, and politics, it has been very important. Amenophis I made it the capital of Egypt.
From the 18th to the 20th dynasty, the local god Amon became the chief god of cities, and the city began to grow as a religious, political, and military centre.
Because many temples were built by the pharaohs, the Arabs called it “Luxor and the city of 100 gates.” It was the capital of Egypt until the end of the XXXI dynasty in 332 BC, when Persia put an end to the Pharaonic dynasties.
The weather in Luxor
In the summer, Luxor is dry and hot, and in the winter, it is not too cold or too hot. Because of this, the best time to visit Luxor is at the start of spring, in the fall, and especially in the winter, when the weather is nice.
The Things to Do in Luxor
Luxor, also called “Ancient Thebes,” has a lot of historical places that are fun to see up close. It was where the god “Amon-Ra” lived, so the pharaohs built many temples there. It has almost 14 temples, but the Temple of Karnak is the most well-known. By taking a cruise down the Nile, you can see all of Upper Egypt’s history.
1- the Temple of Luxor.
One of the biggest temples is the Luxor Temple. In 1400 BC, during the 18th and 19th dynasties, Amenophis III and Ramsis II built it. It was called the Sanctuary of the South and was built for the god Amon, his wife Mut, and their son Jonsu.
2- The Karnak Temple
It is the country’s biggest temple. It is a religious complex of temples that was built between 2200 BC and 360 BC by more than 30 pharaohs, including Hatshepsut, Seti I, Ramses II, and Ramses III.
It has the Montu enclosure, the Mut enclosure, the Jonsu temple, the Opet temple, and the Ptah temple. The temple of Amon is the biggest one there. It also has a room with 134 columns that is more than 500 m2 in size.
3- Valley of the Kings
It has more than 60 tombs from the 18th, 19th, and 20th dynasties. The tombs are all different sizes. King Tuthmosis I of the 18th dynasty was the first king to be buried there. After him, many other kings were buried there, including Ramses III and Tuthmosis III. However, Tutankhamun’s tomb is the most famous one in the Valley of the Kings.
4- In the Valley of the Queens
It has a lot of tombs of princesses and pharaohs’ wives from the 18th, 19th, and 20th dynasties. The most well-known tomb in the Valley of the Queens is that of Ramses II’s wife, Queen Nefertari.
It was built by her husband Ramses II in 1290 BC. c. The ancients called the valley “the land of the king’s children,” but Champollion called it the Valley of the Queens.
5- The Colossi of Memnon
There are two statues of King Amenophis III there. The Colossi were built 3,400 years ago to protect the entrance to the temple of Amenophis, which was destroyed in 1200 BC.
6- The Hatchepsut Temple
People called him “Djoser-Djoser.” Queen Hatchepsut, who was the first woman to be pharaoh for 20 years, gave the order to build the Temple of Hatshepsut. The Temple of Deir El-Bahari is another name for it. The god Amon-Ra was honoured by it.
Egypt trip with Egypt via travel
Egypt is called the country of the pharaohs and the “cradle of civilization” because of its long history. On a Nile cruise, you can get close to the sights in Luxor and most of the temples in Luxor and Aswan. Check out our travel packages to Egypt and book your trip now.
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