Egyptian Geography

The East Bank of the Nile : The Temples of Luxor and Karnak, and the Museum. The West Bank of the Nile : The Colossi of Memnon - The Tombs of the Valleys of the Kings and Queens - Mortuary Temples - The Tombs of the Nobles - The Tombs of Deir al-Madina.

First East Bank Monuments
Temple of Luxor :Built by the two pharaohs: Amenhotep Ill and Ramses II.The temple was dedicated to Amun-Ra, whose marriage to Mut was celebrated annually, when the sacred procession moved by boat from Karnak to Luxor Temple.

1- The entrance is a huge pylon built by Ramses II and has two seated statues of the king. Originally, two large obelisks stood in front of the pylon. However, only one remains, while the other now stands in Place de Ia Concorde, in Paris.

2- Beyond the pylon, is the peristyle hall - built by Ramses II - and bordered on three sides by double rows of columns with bud papyrus capitals. In the north-eastern part of the hall is the Mosque of Abul Haggag.

3- The rest of the Temple was built by Amenhotep Ill, starting with the Colonade that has fourteen hug pillars in two rows.

4- Then we come to the large Court of Amenhotep Ill that is surrounded on three sides by double rows of pillars. This leads to the hypostyle hall, containing 32 pillars, and on to the Sanctuary of the Sacred Boat.

Alexander the Great built a kiosk within that of Amenhotep Ill. Finally, we reach the four-columned Holiest of Holies: the Sanctuary of the Sacred Statue.

Luxor Sound and Light Show

Karnak Temples : This is the greatest place of worship in history. It includes many singular temples, dedicated to Amun, his wife (Mut), an their son (Khonsu), the moon deity. Since the Arab conquest, it became known as 'al-Karnak': the Fort. The temple starts with the Avenue of the Rams, representing Amun: symbol of fertility and growth. Beneath the rams heads, small statues of Ramses II were carved.

1- We start our visit to Karnak by passing through the First Pylon, dating to King Nekhtebo of the 30th Dynasty, on to the large forecourt where on the right we find the chapels of the Thebes Triad, dating to Seti 11. On the left, there is the Temple of Ramses Ill.

2- Then comes the remnants of the Second Pylon which leads to the large hypostyle hall which has 134 columns, with the double row in the middle higher than the rest.

3- We then come to the remnants of the Third Pylon, before which stands the obelisk of Thutmosis I, and on to the Fourth Plyon, guarded by the obelisk of Hatshepsut. Beyond, are the remains of the Fifth Pylon, leading to the Holiest of Hatshepsut. Beyond, are the remains of the Fifth Pylon, leading to the Holiest of Holies.

4-   We finally come to the court, from the Middle Kingdom, which leads to a large Hall of Ceremonies, dating        back to Tuthmosis III .
       * The Sacred Lake : The Sacred Lake, used for purification, lies outside the main hall where we have a            large statue of a scarab, dating to King Amenhotep.
       * The Sound and Light Spectacle:
          This spellbinding show, through the exquisite use of words, light and music, tells the story of this            magnificent temple.
     *  The program is presented twice daily in Arabic, English, French and German.

The Luxor Museum : The Museum is situaded between the temples Luxor and Karnak. It houses pharaonic relics from Luxor and the nearby areas.

Mummifucation museum : Recently inaugurated in the visitors centre in Luxor, it is the only one of its kind in the world. It houses 150 relics of mummies, coffins, tools the ancient Egyptian physician used, and paintings representing the religious funerary rituals.

Second The West Bank Monuments

The Colossi of Memnon	The Tombs of the Valleys	The most important of tomb

The only remnants of a temple commemorating Amenhotep Ill, these statues are 19.20 meters high. When they suffered cracks, and where said to sing, the Greeks named them after Memnon, the legendary hero killed at the Trojan Wars, who, each morning, called his mother Eos, the Dawn goddess, and she bewailed him, shedding tears that were the dewdrops.	The Tombs of the Valleys of the Kings and Queens : These are the two tombs, ordered by the kings and queens of the New Kingdom to be carved in the rock-faces of the valley so as to safeguard them against grave-robbers. The tomb is composed of several rooms and corridors leading to the Burial Chamber.	The most important of these tombs are those of : Tut-Ankh-Amun, Ramses Ill, Seti I, Ramses VI, Amenhotep II, Hur-Moheb, Tuthmosis III The chief tombs of the Valley of the Queens are those of: Queen Nefertari, wife of Ramses II

Commemorative Temples

Deir el-Bahari	The Ramesseum	Madinet Habu

This temple was built by Queen Hatshepsut to perform the rites of the nether world. Deir el-Bahari is a fairly recent nomenclature from the 7th century B.C. when the Copts used it as a monastery. The Temple is composed of three impressive rising terraces, split by a road.	Built in commemoration of Ramses II, its murals record the Battle of Kadesh.	Built in commemoration of Ramses Ill, characterized by its well-preserved religious and military scenes. These paintings still retain their vivid colours.
The most important tombs of the area are : Tombs of the Nobles : portraying the lives of nobles andtheir families. The Tomb of Nakht : the inscriptions portray the skill of the Egyptian artist. The Tomb of Menna : scribe of the fields of the Two Lands, during the reign of Tuthmosis IV. The Tomb of Ramose : one of the state officials during the reign of Amenhotep III and Akhnaten. The tomb contains inscriptions depicting Akhnaten and his wife, Nefertiti.

Temple of Dendera and Esna .....
The visitor to Luxor may also see the Temples of Dendera and Esna
Dendera

Temple of Dendera: This Graeco-Roman temple lies about 60 kms north of Luxor. The temple was first initiated by Ptolemy III with numerous additions by subsequent Roman Ptolemic rulers.

It houses a famous painting of Queen Cleopatra, and Caesaron, her son from Julius Caesar. The temple is renowned for its horoscope inscriptions.

Isna

Isna is located about 33 miles south of Luxor. The town's Greek name was Latopolis and here fish (lates) where thought to embody the goddess Neith,who was sacred to the area. Isna was increasingly important during the 18th dynasty due to Egypt's developing relationship with the Sudan. There was a route established between Isna and Derr. Later, the city slowly declined until it received renewed interest during the 26th Dynasty. Later, under the Greeks and Romans, it became the capital of the Third Nome of Upper Egypt.We also know of an Isna about a hundred years ago from Flaubert, who later wrote Madame Bovary, was propositioned by a 'almeh' while aboard his boat. He went with her to the house of Kuchuk Hanem, where she danced (not so virtuously) the Bee. In other words, wild times could be found here. Mohammed Ali had band almeh (meaning learned women) from Cairo, so they had gathered to make their living in Qena, Isna and Aswan.

But today, Isna is a somewhat sleepy if busy merchant and farming town, with a weaving industry, on the west bank of the Nile where the entertainment more resides in the Saturday animal market. On the covered market street, one may purchase fabric, or have the fabrics made into clothing. There are some fine old houses about with fine brickwork and mashrbiyya screens. There is also a barrage just outside of town which was built in 1906. About 4 miles southwest of town is the Deir Manaos Wa al-Shuhada (Monastery of the Three Thousand Six Hundred Martyrs), who's 10th century church is said to be one of the most beautiful in Upper Egypt. Perhaps this monastery is a lasting commemorative to Emperor Decius (249-51 AD) who degreed that all Christians would suffer death if they did not sacrifice to the pagan gods. His cartouche was the last to be carved on the walls of the Temple of Khnum in Isna.But the main attraction is the Temple of Khnum, which lies beneath the level of the houses in a pit. Most of the ruins of around the Temple and the old city are yet to be explored as they lay under these modern dwellings. This was not the first temple here, for during the reign of Thutmose III, a temple was built here that preceded it. There are blocks from an early Christian church in the forecourt of the temple, foretelling of a time when Isna was an important Christian center. Near the Temple of Khnum on the stone quay along the corniche are carved cartouches of Emperor Marcus Aurelius.

Temple of Esna

Located south of Luxor, the temple has a hypostyle hall with pictures and texts telling of the Roman emperors who came to Egypt and offered sacrifices to its deities.

Among the landmarks of Luxor are

-  Abul Haggag Mosque, within the compound of the Temple of Luxor.

- The Coptic Church, next to the mosque, inside Luxor Temple.

- Monasteries
   *   Deir el-Shayeb, located 7 kms north of Luxor.
   *   Deir Marie Girgis, on the west bank.
   *   Deir el-Muhareb, about 4 kms from the quay on the west bank.