Luxor Travel
Located on the banks
of the Nile in Upper Egypt, Luxor (from Al Uqsur in Arabic meaning “the palaces”) exists on the site of the city of
Thebes, the former capital of
ancientEgypt.
With a large number
of ancient monuments, temples and burial grounds located in and around the city, Luxor is the
country’s most popular tourist attraction after the pyramids, and the base from which to explore
Pharaonic Egypt .
Sightseeing in Luxor includes the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Queens, the Tombs of the
Nobles, the Colossi of Memnon, the Temple of Esna, the Rammuseum and Hatchetsup Temple on the west bank of the
river Nile, and Luxor Temple and Karnack Temple on the east bank. Similarly the impressive Ptolemaic temples
of Edfu and Kom Ombo are
just a few hours away to the South by train.
Luxor is also home to the Sunshine Project, a home to disadvantaged
and abandoned children. If you have had your fill of ancient monumnets, a visit to the project can be one of the
most worthwhile and rewarding excursions you can make.
As Thebes,
the city prospered for five hundred years during the New Kingdom (1550 – 1069) era. It was during this period that most of the major monuments were
built and although it was no longer the country’s capital, it remained a ceremonial centre and the capital of
the south.
Bustling with
visitors for seven months of the year, modern day Luxor is a city
built on the economy of tourism. From the feluccas and cruise boats that dock here to the touts, shops keepers, restaurateurs, and travel agents one can hardly
take a step without being offered some way to part with one's cash. The hassle factor is high here, but for
those with the patience to smile it off, the rewards are great.
Luxor can
easily be combined with visits to other parts of Egypt such as Aswan, Cairo and Hurghada. You can read about moving on from Luxor here
| 
