Top 3 recommended sites in Luxor:
East Bank
Built around the 1300 BCs, the Karnak Temple is a vast complex of three main temples and several smaller enclosed and outer temples. The most magnificent of these is the Temple of Amun, entered via the Avenue of Sphinxes and leading through the ancient city of Thebes. The 130 gigantic carved columns of the Amun’s Hypostyle Hall, covering an area of 64586 sq. ft is considered the single greatest architectural achievement of ancient Egypt.
West Bank
The Valley of the Kings, nestled at the foot of the Theban Hills, is the resting place of the noble kings, their mummified bodies preserved in limestone tombs. The tombs possess fantastic and exceedingly detailed wall paintings depicting the time and lives of the pharaohs. The more famous of one such tomb is the Tomb of Tutankhamun, the lesser known boy-king of the Egyptians.
Equally fascinating are the tombs and wall paintings of the Valley of the Queens and the Valley of the Nobles, the most famous among which is the Tomb of Queen Nefertari, the wife of Ramses II.
The mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut, the only woman Pharaoh to ever rule Egypt, the spectacular Hatshepsut’s Temple was built and dedicated by the Queen’s architect, Senemut. This unique temple is of towering ramps, beautiful terraces, elegant columns and artistic hieroglyphic paintings depicting the Queen’s exploits in Egypt.