Luxor 17 April

We docked at Safaga in Egypt and then travelled by bus for three hours to Luxor, the site of the ancient city of Thebes where the Temples of Luxor and Karnak are located. The area is also where the Theban Necropolis is located home of the tomb of Tutenkhamun, amongst many others.

We were concerned about the security situation in Egypt but from researching news reports it seems that the main problem was in Cairo, which I guess explains some of the strict security measures we encountered.

The three hour drive was interesting in its own right and we saw some interesting sights. Here a donkey cart is being used in conjunction with a mobile phone – old meets new.

Old and New. Donkey and Cell Phone

Here are some colourful street stalls

It was interesting to note that no matter how impoverished a dwelling appeared, it still had a satellite TV dish – or several.

Satellite Dish on every building – completed or not!

Our trip to Luxor was spread over two days. The first day we visited the Luxor and Karnak Temples.

Columns at Luxor Temple Dwarf Humans

The scale of the constructions throughout the area was amazing and in their pristine state must have been awe inspiring – which of course was the intention!

We stayed overnight at a hotel in Luxor overlooking the Nile.  This is the view from our hotel window.

The next day we went to see Agamemnon and the Habu Temple and crossed the Nile to the West Bank to the Necropolis and visited the tombs in the Valley of the Nobles.  The area is still an active archeological site and there were lots of people working it.

Valley of The Nobles. Archeological excavation is ongoing

Habu Temple Luxor

We didn’t go to the Valley of the Kings due to time constraints and as no cameras are allowed past the entry point, there wouldnt have been any photo opportunities.  However, I did take a photo from our hotel in the early morning, albeit at some distance.

Valley of the Kings

For lots more photos of Luxor click here to open a new window.  The link also has photos of our visit to Cairo and the pyramids of Giza.