POST DOSTĘPNY TAKŻE PO POLSKU
DISPONIBLE TAMBIÉN EN ESPAÑOL
DISPONÍVEL TAMBÉM EM PORTUGUÊS
Luxor, comprising ancient Karnak and Thebes, is a place which until today shows a power of the civilization of ancient Egypt. It’s sometimes called the world’s greatest open air museum because the remains of the temples in Karnak and Luxor lie within the modern city. There are also many ancient tombs and monuments on the west bank of the Nile.
The city lies about 650 kms from Cairo (you can come here by train or bus) and about 300 kms from Hurghada (you can come here by bus).
We decide to go to Luxor with a travel agency. It costs more or less the same as a self-organized trip but it causes much less trouble. What’s more, the attractions of Luxor are spread over a relatively large area.
In Hurghada there are many agencies; according to the opinions in the net a standard of the services vary, so be careful. Residents of the European travel agencies advise against local operators but we don’t let them convince us to buy a tour from them. While at home we made up our minds to go with LM Egypt which has very good opinions. It’s run by Sayed, an Egyptian guy who studied in Poland and speaks Polish fluently. He offers a standard package: temple complex in Karnak, Colossi of Memnon, Valley of the Kings, Temple of Hatshepsut, visit to a manufacture of papyrus and alabaster workshop; price includes bus from and back to the hotel, lunch in Luxor (drinks paid additionally), crossing the Nile by ferry and a Polish speaking guide
We pay $59 per person; we would have paid $80-90 buying from a resident.
LM Egypt agency is located in Sakkala, in front of the disco Calypso (if you stay in Dahar, it’s best to take a mini-bus and ask if it passes by Calypso). What’s important: the owner speaks Polish so there’s no problem with communication.
Internet site: www.lmegypt.com
tel. +2 011-2191-9090
Sightseeing
*Temple in Luxor – in the city center; daily 6.00-22.00; entry: 40 LE.
*Temple of Amon-Ra in Karnak (daily 6.00-17.30; entry: 65 LE) and the surrounding buildings are the most remarkable monuments in Egypt. Remains of 20 temples cover an area of 25 ha, it’s the most complex compound of buildings in Egypt, they’ve been being built for hundreds of years. It’s been for many centuries the most important religious and intellectual center of the ancient world.
 |
| Model presenting the temple in Karnak |
 |
| Temple in Karnak |
 |
| Temple in Karnak |
*Thebes – on the west bank of the Nile, you can get there by ferry from a pier in front of the temple in Luxor.
It’s difficult to enumerate all the attractions of the ancient Thebes. To visit them all you would need probably several days. The most known are: Colossi of Memnon, Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens, Valleys of the Nobles, many temples among which the most famous is Hatshepsut Temple.
In the XVI century pharaohs started to cut their tombs in rocks. After a burial they were simply inundated. It made them more difficult to find by robbers. It turned out so effective that until today not all them have been found.
 |
| Colossi of Memnon |
 |
| Hatshepsut Temple |
 |
| In the Hatshepsut Temple |
Only some of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings are open to public; daily 6.00-17.00; entry: 80 LE, a ticket gives you a right to enter the whole area and to visit three tombs of your choice. We enter tombs of Ramesses I, Ramesses IV and Amenhotep II. You have to pay separately to visit the tomb of Tutankhamun: 80 LE (most of the things found here is now presented in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo).
There are also some interesting mortuary temples here, the most interesting and the most famous is Hatshepsut temple (40 LE); Polish archeologists played a large role in its excavating.
 |
| Luxor seen from the Nile |
 |
| Alabaster workshop |