03Cities and regions

Ancient Thebes

Luxor

Luxor is often called the world's greatest open-air museum. This was Thebes, Egypt's capital for long stretches of its history, and its temples stand right in the middle of the modern city. On the east bank lies Karnak, an immense complex begun around 1971 BC and added to until Ptolemaic times, whose Great Hypostyle Hall packs 134 columns into 5,000 m². From Karnak the Avenue of Sphinxes runs 2.7 km south to Luxor Temple, built around 1400 BC in sandstone and at its most beautiful at night under floodlights. The west bank is the city of the dead: the Valley of the Kings with its 65 rock-cut tombs and chambers, Tutankhamun's among them, found in 1922; Hatshepsut's temple with three terraces climbing towards the cliffs of Deir el-Bahari; and the Colossi of Memnon, 18 m tall. Give each bank at least a day and set off early, before the heat builds.

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Columns in Karnak's Great Hypostyle Hall

2.7 km

Length of the Avenue of Sphinxes

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Tombs and chambers in the Valley of the Kings

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Height of the Colossi of Memnon