Luxor

Luxor الأقصر (Arabic)
Top:First pylon in Pricienct of Amun-Re, 2nd left:View of night in Luxor Temple, 2nd right:Colossi of Memnon Statue, Middle left:Pillars of Great Hypostyle Hall ancient site, Middle right:Hatshepsut Temple in Deir el-Bchari, 4th left:RamsesⅡstatue in Karnak Temple, 4th right:Needle Monument in Karnak Temple, Bottom:View of Pillars of Great Hypostyle Hall ancient site
Luxor Location of Luxor within Egypt
Coordinates: 25°41′N 32°39′E / 25.683°N 32.650°E / 25.683; 32.650Coordinates: 25°41′N 32°39′E / 25.683°N 32.650°E / 25.683; 32.650
Country	Egypt
Governorate	Luxor
Area[1]
• Total	416 km2 (161 sq mi)
Elevation	76 m (249 ft)
Population (2012)[2]
• Total	506,588
• Density	1,200/km2 (3,200/sq mi)
Postal code	85511
Area code(s)	(+20) 95
Website	www.luxor.gov.eg

Luxor (/ˈlʌk.sɔr/ or /ˈlʊk.sɔr/;^[3] Arabic: الأقصر‎ al-Uqṣur ; Egyptian Arabic: Loʔṣor  IPA: [ˈloʔsˤoɾ]; Saidi Arabic: Logṣor  [ˈloɡsˤor]) is a city in Upper (southern) Egypt and the capital of Luxor Governorate. The population numbers 487,896 (2010 estimate),^[2] with an area of approximately 416 square kilometres (161 sq mi).^[1] As the site of the Ancient Egyptian city of Thebes,^[4] Luxor has frequently been characterized as the "world's greatest open air museum", as the ruins of the temple complexes at Karnak and Luxor stand within the modern city. Immediately opposite, across the River Nile, lie the monuments, temples and tombs on the West Bank Necropolis, which include the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens. Thousands of tourists from all around the world arrive annually to visit these monuments, contributing a large part towards the economy for the modern city.

Etymology

The name Luxor comes from the Arabic al-quṣūr (القصور), lit. "the palaces," from the pl. of qaṣr (قصر), which is from the Latin word castrum "fortified camp".^[5]

History

Pharaonic statue in Luxor Temple

Luxor was the ancient city of Thebes, the great capital of Egypt during the New Kingdom, and the glorious city of the god Amon-Ra. The city was regarded in the Ancient Egyptian texts as w3s.t (approximate pronunciation: "Waset"), which meant "city of the sceptre" and also as t3 ip3t (conventionally pronounced as "ta ipet" and meaning "the shrine") and then, in a later period, the Greeks called it Thebai and the Romans after them Thebae. Thebes was also known as "the city of the 100 gates", sometimes being called "southern Heliopolis" ('Iunu-shemaa' in Ancient Egyptian), to distinguish it from the city of Iunu or Heliopolis, the main place of worship for the god Re in the north. It was also often referred to as niw.t, which simply means "city", and was one of only three cities in Egypt for which this noun was used (the other two were Memphis and Heliopolis); it was also called niw.t rst, "southern city", as the southernmost of them.

Luxor Temple

The importance of the city started as early as the 11th Dynasty, when the town grew into a thriving city, renowned for its high social status and luxury, but also as a center for wisdom, art, religious and political supremacy.^[6] Montuhotep II who united Egypt after the troubles of the first intermediate period brought stability to the lands as the city grew in stature. The Pharaohs of the New Kingdom in their expeditions to Kush, in today's northern Sudan, and to the lands of Canaan, Phoenicia and Syria saw the city accumulate great wealth and rose to prominence, even on a world scale.^[6] Thebes played a major role in expelling the invading forces of the Hyksos from Upper Egypt, and from the time of the 18th Dynasty through to the 20th Dynasty, the city had risen as the major political, religious and military capital of Ancient Egypt.

The city attracted peoples such as the Babylonians, the Mitanni, the Hittites of Anatolia (modern-day Turkey), the Canaanites of Ugarit, the Phoenicians of Byblos and Tyre, the Minoans from the island of Crete.^[6] A Hittite prince from Anatolia even came to marry with the widow of Tutankhamun, Ankhesenamun.^[6] The political and military importance of the city, however, faded during the Late Period, with Thebes being replaced as political capital by several cities in Northern Egypt, such as Bubastis, Sais and finally Alexandria.

However, as the city of the god Amon-Ra, Thebes remained the religious capital of Egypt until the Greek period.^[6] The main god of the city was Amon, who was worshipped together with his wife, the Goddess Mut, and their son Khonsu, the God of the moon. With the rise of Thebes as the foremost city of Egypt, the local god Amon rose in importance as well and became linked to the sun god Ra, thus creating the new 'king of gods' Amon-Ra. His great temple, at Karnak just north of Thebes, was the most important temple of Egypt right until the end of antiquity.

Later, the city was attacked by Assyrian emperor Assurbanipal who installed the Libyan prince on the throne, Psammetichus.^[6] The city of Thebes was in ruins and fell in significance. However, Alexander the Great did arrive at the temple of Amun, where the statue of the god was transferred from Karnak during the Opet Festival, the great religious feast.^[6] The grandeur of Thebes would still remain a site of spirituality, and attracted numerous Christian monks in the Roman Empire who established monasteries amidst several ancient monuments including the temple of Hatshepsut, now called Deir el-Bahri ("the northern monastery").^[6]

Climate

Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as hot desert (BWh). Luxor, Minya, Sohag, Qena and Asyut have the widest difference of temperatures between days and nights of any city in Egypt, with almost 16 °C (29 °F) difference. Additionally, Aswan and Luxor have the hottest summer days of any other city in Egypt.^[7] Rainfall in Luxor is rare.

The hottest temperature recorded was in May 15, 1991 which was 50 °C (122 °F) and the coldest temperature was on February 6, 1989 which was −1 °C (30 °F).^[8]

Economy

Streets of Luxor in 2004

Luxor souq

The economy of Luxor, like that of many other Egyptian cities, is heavily dependent upon tourism. Large numbers of people also work in agriculture, particularly sugarcane.

The local economy, reliant on tourism, was greatly hit by the Luxor massacre in 1997, in which a total of 64 people (including 59 visiting tourists) were killed, at the time the worst terrorist attack in Egypt (before the Sharm el-Sheikh terrorist attacks).^[11] The massacre reduced tourist numbers for several years.^[12] Following the 2011 Arab Spring, tourism to Egypt dropped significantly, again affecting local tourist markets.

To make up for shortfalls of income, many cultivate their own food. Goat's cheese, pigeons, subsidized and home-baked bread and homegrown tomatoes are commonplace among the majority of its residents.

Tourism development

street market

Winter Palace Hotel

A controversial tourism development plan aims to transform Luxor into a vast open-air museum. The master plan envisions new roads, five-star hotels, glitzy shops, and an IMAX theatre. The main attraction is an 11 million dollar project to unearth and restore the 2.7 kilometres (1.7 mi) long Avenue of Sphinxes that once linked Luxor and Karnak temples. The ancient processional road was built by the pharaoh Amenhotep III and took its final form under Nectanebo I in 400 BCE. Over a thousand sphinx statues lined the road now being excavated which was covered by silt, homes, mosques and churches. Excavation started around 2004.^[13]

2013 Luxor hot air balloon crash

Nineteen Asian and European tourists died when a hot air balloon crashed early on Tuesday, February 26, 2013 near Luxor following a mid-air gas explosion. It was one of the worst accidents involving tourists in Egypt and likely to push the tourism industry deeper into recession. The casualties included French, British, Hungarian, Japanese nationals and nine tourists from Hong Kong.^[14]

Infrastructure

Transport

Luxor is served by Luxor International Airport.

Luxor international airport

A bridge was opened in 1998, a few kilometres upstream of the main town of Luxor, allowing ready land access from the east bank to the west bank. Traditionally, however, river crossings have been the domain of several ferry services. The so-called 'local ferry' (also known as the 'National Ferry') continues to operate from a landing opposite the Temple of Luxor. The single fare (June 2008) is 1 L.E. - one Egyptian Pound - per passenger for foreigners. Egyptian nationals pay ¼ of that, 25 piasters. This ferry is mainly used by the locals although a number of foreigners do use it.

Luxor railway station

The sites on the west bank are further than you think and you will need transport - taxi drivers often approach ferry passengers, and it is recommended that a fare be negotiated ahead of time. There are also local cars that reach some of the monuments for 25 piasters, although tourists rarely use them. Alternatively, motorboats line both banks of the Nile all day providing a quicker, but more expensive (5 L.E.), crossing to the other side.

The city of Luxor on the east bank has several bus routes used mainly by locals. Tourists often rely on horse carriages, called "calèches," for transport or tours around the city. Do not ask calèche drivers to go to the west bank, because it is too far for the horses, not to mention illegal. Taxis are plentiful, and reasonably priced, and since the government has decreed that taxis older than 20 years will not be relicensed, there are many modern air-conditioned cabs. Recently, new roads have been built in the city to cope with the growth in traffic.

For domestic travel along the route of the Nile, a rail service operates several times a day. A morning train and sleeping train can be taken from the railway station situated around 400 metres (440 yd) from Luxor Temple. The line runs between several major destinations, including Cairo to the north and Aswan to the south.

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Luxor is twinned with:

• Kazanlak, Bulgaria
• Baltimore, Maryland, United States^[15]
• Parintins, Brazil
• Shenzhen, China, since 1993^[16][17][18]

Sights of modern-day Luxor

East bank

• Luxor Temple
• Luxor International Airport
• Karnak Temple
• Luxor Museum
• Mummification Museum
• Winter Palace Hotel

A panoramic view of the great hypostyle hall in the Precinct of Amun Re

West bank

• Valley of the Kings
• Valley of the Queens
• Medinet Habu (memorial temple of Ramesses III)
• The Ramesseum (memorial temple of Ramesses II)
• Deir el-Medina (workers' village)
• Tombs of the Nobles
• Deir el-Bahri (Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut, etc.)
• Malkata (palace of Amenophis III)
• Colossi of Memnon (memorial temple of Amenophis III)

Gallery

A panoramic view of the interior of the Luxor temple, just inside the entrance. The Abu Haggag Mosque, built over the ruins, is on the left.

• 

  Luxor Temple, from the east bank of the Nile

• 

  Hundreds of sphinxes once lined the road to nearby Karnak

• 

  A well preserved sphinx

• 

  The massive First Pylon

• 

  The red granite obelisk

• 

  The central corridor of the temple

• 

  Islamic mosque over pharaonic temple

• 

  Sitting Ramesses II Colossus inside Luxor Temple

• 

  Closeup of the same Colossus

• 

  Amenhotep's colonnade from the peristyle court

• 

  The east side of the peristyle court of Amenhotep III

• 

  Roman mural in an inner chamber

• 

  Central corridor and four colossi by night

• 

  Closeup of illuminated red granite obelisk

• 

  Sitting Ramesses II Colossus inside Luxor Temple by night

• 

  Wall inscription

• 

  Northwestern part

• 

  The Abu el-Haggag mosque inside of the temple

• 

  Hot-air ballooning over the west bank

• 

  Station Street in Luxor

• 

  Street market in Luxor

• 

  Luxor: the souq

• 

  Pharaonic statue in Luxor Temple

• 

  Panoramic view of Luxor

• 

  The New Corniche in Luxor

• 

  Luxor Temple and Abu el-Haggag mosque

• 

  Interior of Abu el-Haggag mosque

• 

  Mosque in Mansheya Street

See also

• Aswan
• List of megalithic sites
• Luxor Massacre

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Luxor.

• Theban Mapping Project: website devoted to the Valley of the Kings and other sites in the Theban Necropolis
• Luxor World Heritage Site in panographies - 360 degree interactive imaging
• Kamil, Jill (November 2008). "The Development Plan for Luxor". Al-Ahram Weekly, Issue No. 921. 
• Luxor Temple picture gallery at Remains.se

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