Showing 1-21 of 21 results
-
Amun Temple Enclosure - Main Axis
The most important place of worship at Karnak was the massive Amun Temple Enclosure (Precinct of Amun), dominated by the great Temple of Amun-Ra, which contains the famous hypostyle hall, a spectacular forest of giant papyrus-shaped columns. On its southern side is the Mut Temple Enclosure, once linked to the main temple by an avenue of ram-headed sphinxes. To the north is the Montu Temple Enclosure, which honoured the local Theban war god.
-
Amun Temple Enclosure - Southern Axis
The secondary axis of the Amun Temple Enclosure, running south from the third and fourth pylons, is a walled processional way from the seventh to the tenth pylon, leading to the Mut Temple Enclosure. The courtyard between the Hypostyle Hall and the seventh pylon, built by Tuthmosis III, is known as the cachette court, as thousands of stone and bronze statues were discovered here in 1903.
-
Colossi of Memnon
The two faceless Colossi of Memnon that rise majestically about 18m from the plain are the first monuments tourists see when they visit the West Bank. The enthroned figures have kept a lonely vigil on the changing landscape, and few visitors have any idea that these giants were only a tiny element of the largest temple ever built in Egypt, Amenhotep III's memorial temple, believed to have covered an area larger than Karnak.
-
Deir al-Medina
About 1km off the road to the Valley of the Queens and up a short, steep paved road is Deir al-Medina, named after a temple that was occupied by early Christian monks. Near the temple is the ruined settlement, the Workmen's Village. Many of the workers and artists who created the royal tombs lived and were buried here. Some of the small tombs here have exquisite reliefs, making it worth a visit.
-
Funerary Temple of Hatshepsut
Rising out of the desert plain in a series of terraces, the Funerary Temple of Hatshepsut is a spectacular sight. It was vandalised by Hatshepsut's bitter successor, Tuthmosis III, but retains much of its original magnificence, including elaborate friezes.
-
Karnak
More than a temple, Karnak is an extraordinary complex of sanctuaries, kiosks, pylons and obelisks dedicated to the Theban gods and the greater glory of pharaohs. Everything is on a gigantic scale: the site covers over 2 sq km, large enough to contain about 10 cathedrals, while its main structure, the Temple of Amun, is the largest religious building ever built.
-
Luxor Museum
This wonderful museum has a beautifully displayed collection, from the end of the Old Kingdom right through to the Mamluk period, mostly gathered from the Theban temples and necropolis.
-
Luxor Temple
Largely built by the pharaohs Amenhotep III (1380-1352 BC) and Ramses II (1279-1213 BC), the Luxor Temple is a strikingly graceful monument in the heart of the modern town. Visit during the day, perhaps later afternoon, but make sure to return at night when the temple is lit up, creating an eerie spectacle as shadow and light play off the reliefs and colonnades.
-
Medinat Habu
The temple complex of Medinat Habu is dominated by the Temple of Ramses III. The largest temple after Karnak, with many colourful reliefs and golden stone that catches fire at sunset, Medinat Habu is a must-see.
-
Memorial Temple of Hatshepsut
The eyes first focus on the dramatic rugged limestone cliffs that rise nearly 300 m above the desert plain, a monument made by Nature, only to realize that at the foot of all this immense beauty, lies a man-made monument even more extraordinary, the dazzling Memorial Temple of Hatshepsut. The almost modern looking temple blends in beautifully with the cliffs from which it is partly cut, it is a marriage made in heaven.
-
Advertisement
-
Mummification Museum
Housed in the former visitors centre on Luxor's Corniche, the small Mummification Museum has well-presented exhibits explaining the art of mummification. On display are the well-preserved mummy of a 21st-dynasty high priest of Amun, Maserharti, and a host of mummified animals. Vitrines show the tools and materials used in the mummification process - check out the small spoon and metal spatula used for scraping the brain out of the skull.
-
Open-Air Museum
Off to the left of the first court of the Amun Temple Enclosure is Karnak's open-air museum, missed by most visitors, but definitely worth a visit. The well-preserved chapels include the White Chapel of Sesostris I, one of the oldest and most beautiful monuments in Karnak, which has wonderful Middle Kingdom reliefs; the Red Chapel of Hatshepsut, its red quartzite blocks reassembled in 2000; and the Alabaster Chapel of Amenhotep I.
-
Ramesseum Memorial Temple
Ramses II called his massive Ramesseum Memorial Temple 'the Temple of Millions of Years of User-Maat-Ra', classical visitors called it the Tomb of Ozymandias and Jean-François Champollion, who deciphered hieroglyphics, called it the Ramesseum. Like other memorial temples it was part of Ramses II's funerary complex. His tomb was built deep in the hills, but his memorial temple was on the edge of the cultivation on a canal that connected with the Nile and with other memorial temples.
-
Temple of Merneptah
Almost directly behind Amenhotep's temple, lie the remains of the Temple of Merneptah, who succeeded his father Ramses II in 1213 BC and ruled for 10 years. In the 19th century, the 'Israel Stele', now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, was found here, which was the only Egyptian text to mention 'Israel' (which Merneptah claimed to have defeated). The Swiss Institute in Egypt has done considerable work here, uncovering the temple's original plan and a large number of statues and reliefs.
-
Temple of Seti I
At the northern end of the Theban necropolis lies the Temple of Seti I. Seti I (1294-1279 BC), who also built the superbly decorated temple at Abydos and Karnak's magnificent hypostyle hall, died before this memorial temple was finished, so it was completed by his son Ramses II. The temple sees few visitors, despite its picturesque location near a palm grove and recent restoration, after it was severely damaged by torrential rain and floods in 1994.
-
Tomb of Tutankhamen
Only one tomb, the Tomb of Tutankhamen, found in 1922 by Howard Carter, has so far been discovered intact. If you've seen Tutankhamen's treasures in the Cairo Museum, a visit to the simple tomb of this minor pharaoh helps indicate what unimaginable riches once attended the tombs of more illustrious pharaohs such as Tuthmosis I or Ramses II. The corridors and antechambers of the tombs of Sethos I and Ramses IX have some of the best wall paintings, while the tomb of Amenophis II, hidden in the escarpment, is the most exciting to visit. Many tombs are regrettably closed.
-
Tombs of the Nobles
The Tombs of the Nobles in this area are some of the best, but least visited, attractions on the West Bank. Nestled in the foothills opposite the Ramesseum, there are more than 400 tombs, belonging to nobles from the 6th dynasty to the Graeco-Roman period.
-
Tutankhamun's Tomb
The story of the celebrated discovery of the famous tomb and all the fabulous treasures it contained far outshines its actual appearance. The tomb is small and bears all the signs of a rather hasty completion and inglorious burial. The son of Akhenaten by a minor wife, he ruled briefly (1336-1327 BC) and died young, with no great battles or buildings to his credit, so there was little time to build a tomb.
-
Valley of the Kings
Once called the Great Necropolis of Millions of Years of Pharaoh, or the Place of Truth, the Valley of the Kings has 63 magnificent royal tombs from the New Kingdom period (1550-1069 BC), all very different from each other. The West Bank had been the site of royal burials from the First Intermediate Period (2181-2055 BC) onwards. At least three 11th-dynasty rulers built their tombs near the modern village of Taref, northeast of the Valley of the Kings.
-
Valley of the Queens
There are at least 75 tombs in the Valley of the Queens. They belonged to queens of the 19th and 20th dynasties and other members of the royal families, including princesses and the Ramesside princes. Only two were open at the time of writing, as the Tomb of Nefertari was again closed.
-
Advertisement
-
Visitors Centre - Valley of the Kings
At the new visitors centre guides explain the history of the site and show a silicon model of the Valley to their groups in an air-conditioned room, and individual visitors can get information on a set of computers. A movie about Carter's discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamun is also shown. Newly erected signs and maps make navigating the site far easier than before. Tomb plans and history have also been upgraded to help visitors better understand what they're seeing.
Showing 1-21 of 21 results
