Luxor on Nile, at Luxor Temple with mosque.

Egypt: Site of Luxor (center right).

Luxor (Arabic: الأقصر ) is a city in Upper (southern) Egypt and the capital of the Al Uqsur governorate, population 376,022 (1999 survey), area 416 km² ^[1]. As the site of the ancient Egyptian city of Thebes, Luxor has frequently been characterised as the "world's greatest open air museum", the ruins of the temple complexes at Karnak and Luxor standing within the modern city. Immediately opposite, across the Nile River, lie the monuments, temples and tombs on the West Bank Necropolis, which include the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens. Thousands of international tourists arrive each year to visit these monuments, their presence forming a large part of the economic basis for the modern city. As a result, Luxor represents an excellent base for touring Upper Egypt, and is a popular holiday destination, both in its own right and as a starting or finishing point for Nile cruises. The Nile at Temple of Luxor. ... The Nile at Temple of Luxor. ... The Nile (Arabic: , transliteration: , Ancient Egyptian iteru, Coptic piaro or phiaro) is a major north-flowing river in Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. ... Image File history File links Egypt-region-map-cities. ... Image File history File links Egypt-region-map-cities. ... Arabic ( or just ) is the largest living member of the Semitic language family in terms of speakers. ... Al Uqsur (Arabic: الأقصر ) is one of the governorates of Egypt. ... Egypt is divided into 26 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah): Ad Daqahliyah Al Bahr al Ahmar Al Buhayrah Al Fayyum Al Gharbiyah Al Iskandariyah Al Ismailiyah Al Jizah Al Minufiyah Al Minya Al Qahirah Al Qalyubiyah Al Wadi al Jadid Ash Sharqiyah As Suways Aswan Asyut Bani Suwayf Bur Sa... Thebes Thebes (, ThÄ“bai) is the Greek designation of the ancient Egyptian niwt (The) City and niwt-rst (The) Southern City. It is located about 800 km south of the Mediterranean, on the east bank of the river Nile (). Thebes was the capital of Waset, the fourth Upper Egyptian nome... Map of Karnak, showing major temple complexes Interior of Temple First pylon of precinct of Amun viewed from the west Al-Karnak (Arabic الكرنك, in Ancient Egypt was named Ipet Sut, the most venerated place) is a small village in Egypt, located on the banks of the River Nile some 2. ... Luxor Temple, from the east bank of the Nile Luxor Temple is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the River Nile in the city today known as Luxor (ancient Thebes). ... There is also Nile, a death metal band from South Carolina, USA. The Nile in Egypt Length 6 695 km Elevation of the source 1 134 m Average discharge 2 830 m³/s Area watershed 3 400 000 km² Origin Africa Mouth the Mediterranean Basin countries Uganda - Sudan - Egypt The... The Theban Necropolis is an area of the west bank of the Nile, opposite Thebes in Egypt. ... Location of the valley in the Theban Hills, West of the Nile, October 1988 (red arrow shows location) The Valley of the Kings (Arabic: وادي الملوك Wadi Biban el-Muluk; Gates of the King)[1] is a valley in Egypt where for a period of nearly 500 years from the 16th to... The Valley of the Queens, also known as Biban el-Harim (Arabic: ‎), Biban el-Sultanat (Arabic: ‎), and Wadi el-Melikat (Arabic: ‎), is a place in Egypt where wives of Pharaohs were buried in ancient times. ... Map of Upper and Lower Egypt Ancient Egypt was divided into two kingdoms, known as Upper and Lower Egypt. ...

History

Pharaonic statue in Luxor Temple

For the ancient settlement of Luxor, see Thebes, Egypt Download high resolution version (480x640, 51 KB)Luxor Temple Pharaonic statue Photo taken by Hajor, Dec. ... Download high resolution version (480x640, 51 KB)Luxor Temple Pharaonic statue Photo taken by Hajor, Dec. ... Luxor Temple, from the east bank of the Nile Luxor Temple is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the River Nile in the city today known as Luxor (ancient Thebes). ... Thebes Thebes (, Thēbai) is the Greek designation of the ancient Egyptian niwt (The) City and niwt-rst (The) Southern City. It is located about 800 km south of the Mediterranean, on the east bank of the river Nile (). Thebes was the capital of Waset, the fourth Upper Egyptian nome...

Economy

Hot-air ballooning in Luxor

The economy of Luxor, like that of many other Egyptian cities, is heavily dependent upon tourism. Large numbers of people also work in agriculture, particularly sugarcane. Image File history File links Please see the file description page for further information. ... Image File history File links Please see the file description page for further information. ... Species Saccharum arundinaceum Saccharum bengalense Saccharum edule Saccharum officinarum Saccharum procerum Saccharum ravennae Saccharum robustum Saccharum sinense Saccharum spontaneum Sugarcane or Sugar cane (Saccharum) is a genus of 6 to 37 species (depending on taxonomic interpretation) of tall grasses (family Poaceae, tribe Andropogoneae), native to warm temperate to tropical regions...

Infrastructure

Luxor Temple: colossal statues of Ramesses II

Image File history File links Size of this preview: 450 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (460 × 612 pixel, file size: 47 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 450 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (460 × 612 pixel, file size: 47 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

Transportation

Luxor is served by an international airport, Luxor International Airport. Luxor International Airport (IATA: LXR, ICAO: HELX) is the main airport serving the city of Luxor, Egypt. ...

A bridge was recently constructed a few miles upstream of the main town of Luxor, allowing ready land access from the East Bank to the West Bank.

Traditionally, however, river crossings have been the domain of several ferry services. The so-called 'local ferry' (also known as the 'National Ferry') continues to operate from a landing opposite the Temple of Luxor. The single fare (March 2007) is 1 L.E. - one Egyptian Pound - per passenger for foreigners. This ferry is mainly used by the locals although a number of foreigners do use it. The sites on the West Bank are further than you think and you will need transport, a taxi-driver may well approach you on the ferry, make sure you agree a price. There are also local cars that reach some of the monuments for 25 piasters. Alternatively motorboats line the East Bank of the Nile all day providing a quicker, but more expensive (5L.E.), crossing to the other side.

The city of Luxor on the East Bank has several bus routes used mainly by locals. Tourists often rely on horse carriages, called "caleches," for transport.

For domestic travel along the route of the Nile, a rail service operates several times a day. A morning train and sleeping train can be taken from the station situated around 1/4 mile from Luxor Temple. The line runs between several major destinations, including Cairo to the north and Aswan to the south. Aswan (Arabic: أسوان Aswān) (, population 200,000) is a city in the south of Egypt, the capital of the Aswan Governorate. ...

Sights of modern-day Luxor

Street market in Luxor

• East Bank
  • Luxor Temple
  • Luxor International Airport
  • Karnak Temple
  • Luxor Museum
  • Mummification Museum
  • Winter Palace Hotel

• West Bank
  • Valley of the Kings
  • Valley of the Queens
  • Medinet Habu (memorial temple of Ramesses III)
  • The Ramesseum (memorial temple of Ramesses II)
  • Deir al-Madinah (workers' village)
  • Tombs of the Nobles
  • Deir el-Bahri (temple of Hatshepsut, etc.)
  • Malkata (palace of Amenophis III)
  • Colossi of Memnon (memorial temple of Amenophis III)

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (880x625, 172 KB) Please see the file description page for further information. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (880x625, 172 KB) Please see the file description page for further information. ... Luxor Temple, from the east bank of the Nile Luxor Temple is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the River Nile in the city today known as Luxor (ancient Thebes). ... Luxor International Airport (IATA: LXR, ICAO: HELX) is the main airport serving the city of Luxor, Egypt. ... Map of Karnak, showing major temple complexes Interior of Temple First pylon of precinct of Amun viewed from the west Al-Karnak (Arabic الكرنك, in Ancient Egypt was named Ipet Sut, the most venerated place) is a small village in Egypt, located on the banks of the River Nile some 2. ... Luxor Museum Luxor Museum is located in the Egyptian city of Luxor (ancient Thebes). ... The Mummification Museum is located in the Egyptian city of Luxor. ... Winter Palace Hotel The Winter Palace Hotel, located on the banks of the River Nile in Luxor, Egypt, just South of the Luxor temple, was built in 1886 during English and French occupation of the region. ... Location of the valley in the Theban Hills, West of the Nile, October 1988 (red arrow shows location) The Valley of the Kings (Arabic: وادي الملوك Wadi Biban el-Muluk; Gates of the King)[1] is a valley in Egypt where for a period of nearly 500 years from the 16th to... The Valley of the Queens, also known as Biban el-Harim (Arabic: ‎), Biban el-Sultanat (Arabic: ‎), and Wadi el-Melikat (Arabic: ‎), is a place in Egypt where wives of Pharaohs were buried in ancient times. ... Medinet Habu from the air Medinet-Habu is the mortuary temple of Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses III. It is located on the west bank of the River Nile at Thebes, Egypt, south of the morturary temple of Tutankhamun/Horemheb. ... Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut Mortuary temples (or memorial temples) were temples constructed adjacent to, or in the vicinity of, royal tombs in the Middle Kingdom and New Kingdom periods of Ancient Egypt. ... Ramesseum from the air - showing pylons and secondary buildings The Ramesseum is the memorial temple (or mortuary temple) of Pharaoh Ramesses II (Ramesses the Great, also spelt Ramses and Rameses). It is located in the Theban necropolis in Upper Egypt, across the River Nile from the modern city of Luxor. ... Deir al-Madinah is the Arabic name of an Ancient Egyptian village that was home to the artisans who built the temples and tombs ordered by the pharaohs and other dignitaries during the New Kingdom period (18th to 20th dynasties) in the Valley of the Kings. ... Located in the Theban Necropolis, near Luxor, the Tombs of the Nobles are the burial places of some of the powerful courtiers and persons of the ancient city. ... Djeser-Djeseru – the focal point of the complex Deir el-Bahri (Arabic دير البحري dayr al-baḥrÄ«, literally meaning, “The Northern Monastery”) is a complex of mortuary temples and tombs located on the west bank of the Nile, opposite the city of Luxor, Egypt. ... Maatkare[1] Truth is the Ka of Re Nomen Khnumt-Amun Hatshepsut[1] Joined with Amun, Foremost of Noble Ladies Horus name Wesretkau [1] Mighty of Kas Nebty name Wadjrenput[1] Flourishing of years Golden Horus Netjeretkhau [1] Divine of appearance Consort(s) Thutmose II Issue Neferure Father Thutmose I... Malkata (or Malqata) is a place located on the west bank of Thebes, Egypt, in Egypt, in the desert south of Medinet Habu. ... The Colossi of Memnon The Colossi of Memnon (known to locals as el-Colossat, or es-Salamat) are two massive stone statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III. For the past 3400 years they have stood in the Theban necropolis, across the River Nile from the modern city of Luxor. ...

Twinnings

• Baltimore, United States

Sign denoting twin towns of Neckarsulm, Germany Town twinning is a concept whereby towns or cities in geographically and politically distinct areas are paired with the goal of fostering human contact and cultural links. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Flag Seal Nickname: Monument City, Charm City, Mob Town, B-more Motto: Get In On It (formerly The City That Reads and The Greatest City in America; BELIEVE is not the official motto but rather a specific campaign) Location Location of Baltimore in Maryland Coordinates , Government Country State County United...

See also

• Aswan
• 17 November 1997 Luxor massacre

Aswan (Arabic: أسوان Aswān) (, population 200,000) is a city in the south of Egypt, the capital of the Aswan Governorate. ... Djeser-Djeseru The Luxor Massacre took place on 17 November 1997, at Deir el-Bahri, an archaelogical site located across the River Nile from Luxor in Egypt. ...

References

1. ^ luxor.gov.eg

External links

• Theban Mapping Project: website devoted to the Valley of the Kings and other sites in the Theban Necropolis

• Luxor Travel Photo Luxor Pictures published under Creative Commons License

• A tourist's insider guide to Luxor - updated Extrageographic Magazine

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Luxor

• Luxor Tourist Information

• Independent advice for people planning a trip to Luxor

Coordinates: 25°41′N, 32°39′E Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...