Luxor

central Mosque - East Bank

Built on the ancient capital of Thebes with a history dating back some 4000 years, Luxor is a must-see on the Egypt trail.

It is a busy city with a population close to half a million people, most of which is based on the East Bank. A ferry operates 24/7 across the Nile for E£1.

The two temples are seriously beautiful in Luxor (East Bank).

Karnak is an extraordinary vast temple complex. Built, modified, expanded and restored over a period of some 1500 years, it became the most important temple of worship during the New Kingdom. The main tructure inside is the Temple of Amun , and is considered to be the largest religious temple ever built. Entrance fee is E£65/E£35 for adults/students.

More Photos of Karnak in Monochrome











The Luxor temple has mini sphinx lined up as you enter and has plenty to offer. Whilst most of it was built by Amenhotep III, many other left their mark, including Tutenkhamun, Ramses II, Nectanebo, Alexander the Great and the Romans. There is even an 13th century mosque slapped into the middle of the complex.




The Luxor Museum has an excellent reputation, but all museums in Egypt remain closed. During the recent protest, the National Museum was damaged and looted, and security remains on high alert.

There is a large souq (market) selling all the usually tourist goods.

First i check out a couple of hotels on the East Bank the Nefretiti Hotel which has really nice rooms for E£100 / E£160 for singles/doubles including breakfast on their comfy rooftop. The Happyland is less salubrious and i have to battle to get a room for E£70 including a Middle-Eastern breakfast. The owner is a serious crook and i don’t feel comfortable staying here.

A much more tranquil option is to stay in the more rural Western side. We negotiate an E£80 single with no breakfast but use of the kitchen at Kareem’s. One of the owners (Mandu) is a serious gangster – but then so are so many Egyptians. His brother is far more pleasant. After the beautiful Sudanese, it seriously aggravates me. Ever heard of the expression “the cheating Arabs”? It must stem from tourists who have visited Egypt.


With all the outlays of money for temple visiting, i opt to self cater. The small grocery shop next to Kareem’s has a good stock and good and honest prices. For restaurants, Snack-Time opposite Luxor temple offers Wi-Fi and an interesting menu.

You can go nuts with all the temples and tombs that surround Luxor. My personal faves were Karnak, Ramusseum and Valley of the Kings. But hey – we’re all different.