Luxor has been a tourist attraction ever since the Nile steamers began calling in the 19th century to view the remains of Thebes, ancient Egypt's New Kingdom capital, and its associated sites. The town itself boasts Luxor Temple, a graceful ornament to its waterfront and "downtown" quarter, while just to the north is Karnak Temple, a massive complex built over 1300 years. Across the river are the amazing tombs and mortuary temples of the Theban Necropolis, also Luxor also serves as a base for trips to Esna, Edfu, Dendara and Abydos temples, up and down the Nile Valley.

Luxor Temple

Luxor Temple (open daily winter 6am-9pm, summer 6am-10pm, during Ramadan 6am-6.30pm & 8-11pm; ŁE20; camcorder permit ŁE400) stands alone in the heart of town. Enhancing the view from the waterfront and tourist bazaar with its grand colonnades and pylons, which are spotlit at night. Best viewed during the day when its details can be thoroughly examined in a couple of hours.

Dedicated to the Theban Triad of Amun-Min, Mut and Khonsu, Luxor Temple was the "Harem of the South" where Amun's consort Mut and their son Khonsu resided. Every spring a flotilla of barques escorted Amun's effigy from Karnak Temple to this site for a conjugal reunion with Mut in an Optet or fertility festival noted for its public debauchery.

Whereas Karnak is the work of many dynasties, most of Luxor Temple was built by two rulers during a period when New Kingdom art reached its climax. The temple's founder was Amenophis III (1417-1379 BC) of the XVIII Dynasty, whose other monuments included the Third Pylon at Karnak and the Colossi of Memnon across the river. Work stopped under his son Akhenaten (who erased his father's cartouches and built a sanctuary to Aten alongside the temple), but resumed under Tutankhamun and Horemheb, who decorated its court and colonnade with their own reliefs. To this, Ramses II (1304-1237 BC) of the XIX Dynasty added a double colonnaded court and a great pylon flanked by obelisks and colossi. Despite additions by later pharaohs and the rebuilding of the sanctuary under Alexander the Great, the temple has a coherence that reproaches Karnak's giganticism.