History Lovers
Egypt
The first time you see the temples from the Nile, you think your eyes are wrong.
The Forgotten Atlas — Field Report
The first time you see the temples from the Nile, you think your eyes are wrong.
Luxor is the greatest open-air museum on Earth. That phrase is used so often it has lost its meaning — but stand in front of Karnak Temple at dawn, with the columns rising 21 metres on either side and the hypostyle hall stretching before you so vast that Notre Dame Cathedral could fit inside it with room to spare, and the phrase becomes literal. The ancient Egyptians built at a scale that makes everything constructed since feel modest by comparison. Luxor was the religious capital of Egypt for over 1,500 years. The pharaohs built here because this was where the gods lived.
Egypt does something to you that no other place does. It makes you feel simultaneously very small and very connected to everything.
The Forgotten Atlas
The Nile divides Luxor in two and the division is ancient. The East Bank is the city of the living — Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple lit up at night, the souqs and restaurants and hotels. The West Bank is the city of the dead — the Valley of the Kings, where 63 royal tombs have been found cut deep into the limestone mountains, including Tutankhamun's; the Temple of Hatshepsut, one of the finest pieces of architecture in the ancient world; the Colossi of Memnon, two enormous seated pharaohs watching over the flood plain. Cross the Nile by felucca at sunrise.
Hire a guide. Not a tour group — a private guide who can give you the context that transforms hieroglyphs on a wall into the story of a civilisation. Egyptology is one of the deepest rabbit holes in all of history, and a good guide is the entrance to it. Start at Karnak. Walk through the Avenue of Sphinxes to Luxor Temple in the evening when it is lit. Cross to the West Bank the next morning. The Valley of the Kings is best before 9am when the tour buses arrive. Tutankhamun's tomb is the smallest and least decorated of the royal tombs — and still extraordinary.
Three days minimum. A week to do it properly. The hot air balloon ride over the West Bank at dawn is worth every penny and every early alarm.
The largest temple complex ever built. Construction began in 2055 BC and continued for nearly 2,000 years. Allow three hours minimum.
Sixty-three royal tombs cut into the limestone on the West Bank. Entry covers three tombs. Pay extra for Seti I — the finest tomb in the valley.
In the centre of the city. Lit at night in amber light. The avenue of sphinxes connecting it to Karnak has been fully excavated and is extraordinary.
The village where the workers who built the Valley of the Kings lived. Their own tombs here are more colourful and intimate than the royal ones.
The best Egyptian food in Luxor. Traditional dishes — molokhia, ful medames, kofta — served in a beautiful old house in the city centre.
Inside the Winter Palace Hotel, one of the great colonial hotels of the world. The setting is extraordinary. Worth one dinner.
Rooftop restaurant on the East Bank with a view over Luxor Temple. Simple food, unbeatable view at sunset.
Several operators do evening felucca rides with a simple meal. The experience of eating on the Nile at dusk with the temples lit behind you is worth more than any restaurant.
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