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 Southern Attractions

Press to go back to: [Southern Sightseeing Index] [Egypt Sightseeing Index] [Egypt Index] To leave Egypt press here: [Country Search] [Home Page] The following information lists some of the more famous sites you will want to visit.

LUXOR: Site of ancient Thebes, "the one hundred gated city". Renamed Luxor, "The Castles," by the Arabs, this was the Pharaoh's seat of power and religious center of the Amun Cult from 2100 to 750 B.C. Built along both banks of the Nile, Thebes was divided into two parts. On the east bank, the sunrise, was the City of the living. On the west bank, the sunset, was the City of the dead.

The Temple of Luxor, built parallel to the Nile, was begun by Amenhotep III about 1400 B.C. The temple was completed by Ramses II who added two large obelisks at the gateway. Today, only one of them remains. The other is in the Place de la Concorde in Paris.

An avenue of ram-headed sphinxes, many of which remain, connected the Temple of Luxor with Karnak, 1 1/4 miles north. Begun as a small temple to Amun, patron god of Thebes, dozens of Pharaohs made additions to create the largest place of worship in history. It's complex contains temples to Amun, his wife Mut, and their son Khonsu, the moon god.

The Great Hypostyle Hall of Ramses II has 134 pillars, the tallest standing 72 feet. Before the fourth gate is the 141 foot obelisk of Queen Hatshepsut. Twice a day Sound and Light shows are presented in four languages.

Located between the temples of Luxor and Karnak, the Luxor Museum is the most modern in Egypt.

Across the Nile is the Necropolis of Thebes. Covering 10 square miles, this area has been a burial ground since prehistoric times.

COLOSSI OF MEMNON: Named by the Greeks after a legendary hero of the Trojan War, two seated figures, 52 feet high, guard the entrance to the vanished temple of Amenhotep III.

MEDITNET HABU: A fortress-like complex of buildings containing the tomb and residential palace of Ramses III. A gate house is all that remains of a canal that connected the palace to the Nile.

VALLEY OF THE QUEENS: The tombs of 80 queens, princes and princesses. Their construction is similar to the tombs in the Valley of the Kings, but much simpler.

DIER EL-MEDINA: For 500 years this village provided homes, temples and tombs to the workers who built and decorated the necropolis.

TOMBS OF THE NOBLES: Private tombs with wall paintings showing everyday life of Egyptian "nobles",(state officials, scribes, and artist), and their families.

DIER EL BAHARI: The tomb of the Pharaoh Queen Hatshepsut. The temple is built on three levels with connecting ramps. The unique structure perfectly matches the cliffs behind it. Over the cliffs is a foot path leading to the Valley of the Kings.

RAMESSEUM: The remains of the mortuary temple of Ramses II. It's wall decorations, in excellent condition, record the Battle of Kadesh. In the courtyard lies the damaged statue of Ramses which stood 57 feet tall.

VALLEY OF THE KINGS: Carved into the rock faces of this barren valley, about 6 miles from the Nile, the tombs of 64 Pharaohs have been discovered. Approximately 17 are open to the public. The smallest and most famous of these is Number 62, the Tomb of Tutankhamun. The unsurpassed wealth of treasures found here represent the only chamber that escaped plundering by robbers. Other important tombs are those of Seti I, the deepest, and Ramses VI with excellently preserved wall paintings.

ABYDOS: City of the god of death, Osiris. One of the oldest and most important places of worship in Egypt. The Temple of Seti I contains some of the finest wall drawings and reliefs. In the "Gallery of Kings" is the famous "King list", reliefs of all pharaohs since the first Dynasty.

DANDARA: The elaborately decorated, and well preserved, Temple of Hather, goddess of heaven, joy and love. Wonderfully preserved reliefs include the "Zodiac of Dandara" and a painting of Queen Cleopatra and her son Caesaron.

ISNA: The Temple of Khunum with reliefs of Roman Emporers who came to Egypt to offer sacrifices.

PHILAE: Since the building of the first dam, this island with the Temple of Isis has been repeatedly flooded. In 1970 UNESCO began the project of reconstructing the temple buildings on the nearby, higher Agika Island. Rebuilt true to the original, the temple is now the scene of a Sound and Light show.

IDFU: Two massive falcons flank the gateway of the Temple of Horus, the best preserved Egyptian temple. The temple remains virtually intact, and visitors may climb to the top of the gateway for a view of the temple, the Nile, and the desert.

OMBOS: On a cliff high over the Nile are the twin temples of Sobek, the crocodile god, and the falcon-headed god Harwer. Mummified crocodiles are found in the chapel of Hathor.

ASWAN: This resort city was originally a trading post between Egypt and central Africa. The Aswan granite quarries provided materials for obelisks and statues throughout Egypt. An unfinished obelisk, 138 feet long, shows the techniques used to cut and finish these monuments.

ELEPHANTINE ISLAND: This rocky island was the site of the original town and fortress, the southern boundary of Egypt. Today it has a museum and botanical garden. In use until recently, the nilometer kept records of the river level for 3,000 years.

Luxor East Bank Museum
This wonderful little museum on the Corniche, about half way between the Luxor and Karnak temples, has a small but well-chosen collection of relics from the Theban temples and necropolis.

The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 to 9 p.m. (winter) or 5 to 10 p.m. (summer), seven days a week. Entry to the main museum costs 8 Egyptian pounds (4 for students); the fee for the new hall is 10 Egyptian pounds (5 for students). The right to take photos costs 10 Egyptian pounds, while video is 100 Egyptian pounds.

 

1996 Al-Musaafer, L.L.C.