Ancient Thebes, the fourth Capital of ancient Egypt

Moving onto what’s possibly the major and most important sight in the whole of Egypt, and to the humanity after some days visiting Cairo. The greatest archaeological site anywhere in the planet, Luxor. The once glorious and largest capital city of ancient Egypt during the Middle and New Kingdom eras, from 2130 to 1279 BCE and known as Waset and Thebes, time of the greatest dynasties ever, right after Thinis the first ever capital (3150-2686 BCE), Memphis (2686-2160) and Heracleopolis Magna (2160-2040). Almost a thousand years when the development of the civilization was at its height, notably in society, economy, expansion, power, every possible knowledge and of course, architecture which after all, it is what we can really tangibly see and admire when we come to this region of Egypt with such pharaonic constructions like no others and the most imposing tombs ever created in the world by the once most advanced civilization known in the planet.

For anyone coming to Egypt, especially if on a tour, this would be the busiest place in terms of tourists you will find at every site. The tours coming from the north from Cairo, the ones coming from the south from Aswan, the ones starting in Luxor and the thousands of twice weekly arrivals from the cruises either upriver or downriver. Honestly it can be stressing in small spaces within the temples considering the summer months temperatures when you end up absolutely soaked in sweat especially when inside the tombs but in the other hand, it does not really matter. The experience to see all that is priceless, and as you continue reading this guide I will let you know about some stunning tombs you might be visiting pretty much alone!

The modern day city of Luxor itself, is pretty much irrelevant in terms of sightseeing or anything worth to visit. Only the area around the Nile riverside is in general the busiest place as the docks for the dozens of ships are here, with many little shops around but nothing special as opposed to other cities we visited later on such as Kom Ombo or Aswan. Still within the city itself there are the two fabulous great temples of Karnak and Luxor, and having a calesa ride in the late afternoon or evening through the city when the temples are lighted up will be a great experience! Most if not all the tours do include it in their program however if not or you are not in a tour, it is easy to spot them and previously negotiating a price, do not hesitate in doing it.

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