Ancient city of Luxor, Egypt

Luxor was the capital of Middle Egypt for 1500 years. It became prominent in the 21st century BC’ as Thebes it maintained its status as capital until 661 BC when it was attacked by the Assyrians.

Thebes was a small state until one of its princess united the two kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt into one, ushering in a period of 250 years of prosperity.

After a century of foreign occupation the New Kingdom (1550-1150 BC) emerged with its capital at Thebes as one of the great powers of the age.

The name Luxor is a corruption of the Arabic name of the place, El-Kusur, which means ‘the palaces’. The capital city was embellished with grandiose temples worthy of the majesty of the pharaohs, the greatest being Karnak. Karnak’s temple complex covers 100 acres and was built over 1,300 years. The site has three separate temples, the greatest of which is the Temple of Amon.

Luxor survived as an influence center until it was destroyed by the Romans in 30 BC. Although it never fully recovered, Luxor has been a place of interest, almost of pilgrimage, for centuries and it ranks as one of the first true tourist destinations.

The 1922 discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb revealed the lavish treasure buried with kings. Today Luxor is a relatively modern city of 150,000 pe0ople but the real attraction is the wealth of ancient temples like those of Luxor and Karnak on the east side of the river.
Ancient city of Luxor, Egypt