Luxor Things to Do Tips by kenmerk

The colossi of Memnon are two hugh statues that sit on the west bank of the Nile near Luxor. They once guarded a large temple complex that was neaby...

On a clear day, (and most every day is a clear day around here) makes a great photo op, with the lush green Nile valley in the foreground, and tombs visible up in the barren mountains in the background...

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Here is the portion of the avenue of the sphinxes that once ran 3 kilometers from Luxor temple to the Karnak Temple.

Only this small portion is visible and restored at present, but the rest of the avenue still lies buried beneath the town of Luxor. (Maybe someone will dig it up someday...)

Presumably the electric lighting to highlight the sphinxes faces was a post-pharonic addition...

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There can be no denying that Ramses II was he of the larger than life ego..... Everywhere you turn in Egypt you will come across grand images of the warrior King.

Memphis, Karnak, Abu Simbel, and also here in Luxor you will find this massive bust that sits at the main entrance of the Luxor Temple.

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One of the absolute must see's in Luxor is Valley of the Kings... and as such, it obviously gets scads and scads of tourists. (see picture of the wave of humanity walking up the hill...)

Admission is 20 EP, I believe, which will allow you entry into three of the tombs of your choosing. (I saw Ramses III, Ramses VI, and Merneptah (one of Ramses II sons))

If you want to go see King Tut's tomb it is a separate ticket for an additional 40 EP.

It is a shame though you can no longer take pictures inside the tombs... The artwork that adorn the walls of these tombs is just amazing.

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Though the Pharaohs of Luxor got away from the Pyramid building for their own tombs, unlike the Pharaoh's of the Old Kingdom. It appears that they still wanted to have some connection to their forefathers.

Note the pyramid shaped mountain peak at the top of the Valley of the Kings. The likely reason that they stopped the Giza type tombs is they were too easy to find and rob. These kings tried to hide their mortal remains up in the mountains on the west bank of the Nile. Even going so far as to blindfold the workers brought up here to do the digging and artwork.

It was to little avail, though. Every tomb in the Valley, with the exception of King Tut was plundered long ago...

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If you have an extra 40 EP burning a hole in your pocket, you can visit the tomb of King Tut in the Valley of the Kings.

Small and not as ornate by comparision to some of the other tombs here, it is probably more worth while to visit his treasures at the Cairo museum.

You can then save that extra 40 EP for a couple Stellas in down town Luxor in the evening, to wash some of that Pharonic dust taste out of your mouth...

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Another absolute must see in Luxor is the Temple of Hatshepsut. This temple was built to honour the one female Pharaoh in Egyptian history.

The scenery here is stunning, the temple is partially carved out of a sheer cliff and the center ramp will lead you up to a series of three terraces.

While the setting is majestic, the recent history at Hatsehpsut is more subdued, though. It was here that 58 German tourist were gunned down by terrorists in 1997.

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The mud brick village of Gurna is set up in the hills on the West Bank of the Nile near the Valley of the Kings. It has the requisite tourist shops that service your every alabaster need.

Being in close proximity to the many tombs around here, both discovered and undiscovered, these guys are occasionally accused of tomb robbing a bit for themselves.

That said, when the local authorities suddenly find a here-to-fore hut dweller suddenly in possession of an Olympic sized pool and steering a Benz about town, hard questions are probably gonna need to be asked.

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