Best Places to Eat ¨ Sofra Restaurant & Café

(p222)

¨ Al-Moudira (p223)

¨ Silk Road (p223)

¨ Nile Valley Hotel (p223)

¨ As-Sahaby Lane (p222)

Best Places to Sleep

¨ Al-Moudira (p221)

¨ Hilton Luxor Resort & Spa (p218)

¨ Nefertiti Hotel (p216)

¨ Beit Sabée (p219)

¨ La Maison de Pythagore (p217)

%095 / POP 484,132

When to Go

Apr–May, Oct– Nov Some of the best months to visit, with the richest light.

Sha’aban (May-Jun) The month when the city celebrates its holy man, Youssef Abu al-Haggag.

26 Nov The day Howard Carter opened the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922.

Nile Valley: LuxorWhy Go?Luxor is often called the world’s greatest open-air museum, but that comes nowhere near describing this extraordinary place. Nothing in the world compares to the scale and gran-deur of the monuments that have survived from ancient Thebes.

The setting is breathtakingly beautiful, the Nile flowing between the modern city and west-bank necropolis, backed by the enigmatic Theban escarpment. Scattered across the landscape is an embarrassment of riches, from the temples of Karnak and Luxor in the east to the many tombs and temples on the west bank.

Thebes’ wealth and power, legendary in antiquity, began to lure Western travellers from the end of the 18th century. Depending on the political situation, today’s traveller might be alone at the sights, or be surrounded by coachloads of tourists. Whichever it is, a little planning will help you get the most from the magic of the Theban landscape and its unparalleled archaeological heritage.

Includes ¨Sights . . . . . . . . . . . . . .186Activities . . . . . . . . . . . 213Tours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215Festivals & Events . . . 215Sleeping . . . . . . . . . . . . 215Eating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221Drinking & Nightlife . . . . . . . . . . . 224Entertainment. . . . . . 224Shopping . . . . . . . . . . 224

F DNOSAJJMAMJ

Luxor°C/°F Temp Rainfall inches/mm

10/50

20/68

30/86

40/104

50/122

0/32

1.2/30

1.6/40

2.0/50

2.4/60

0.8/20

0

0.4/10

©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd

Nile Valley: luxo

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ile Valley: luxor

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HistoryThebes (ancient Waset) became important in the Middle Kingdom period (2055–1650 BC). The 11th-dynasty Theban prince Mon-tuhotep II (2055–2004 BC) reunited Upper and Lower Egypt, made Thebes his capital and increased Karnak’s importance as a cult centre to the local god Amun with a

temple dedicated to him. The 12th-dynasty pharaohs (1985–1795 BC) moved their capi-tal back north, but much of their immense wealth from expanded foreign trade and agriculture, and tribute from military ex-peditions made into Nubia and Asia, went to Thebes, which remained the religious capital. This 200-year period was one of the

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See Luxor – WestBank Map (p198)See Valley of the

Kings Map (p202)

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Al-MoudiraHotel (4.5km);Esna (45km)

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Maritim Jolie Ville (3km);Luxor Bridge (8km)

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Hilton Luxor Resort& Spa (600m)

1 Wander around the stone thickets of gigantic papyrus-shaped stone columns in the great hypostyle hall at Karnak (p186).

2 Marvel at the stunning architecture of the Luxor Temple (p193) and return later at night to see the beautifully lit carvings on the walls.

3 Like the pharaoh, be led by the gods into the afterworld in the Valley of the Kings (p199).

4 Glimpse the good life of an ancient Egyptian aristocrat on the tomb walls in the Tombs of the Nobles (p197).

5 Wander through the

best-preserved Theban temple, Medinat Habu (p208), in the soft, late-afternoon light.

6 Sense the spirituality of the rarely visited Temple of Seti I (p210).

7 Visit the numerous treasures of the compact Luxor Museum (p195).

Nile Valley: Luxor Highlights