Related Luxor Favorites Tips

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Favorite thing: We were amazaed by the cleanliness and efficiency of Luxor Railway station. Though, it is a small station with very few trains and few passengers, we found the sation is extremely clean and very efficient. Since, Luxor is a touristy destination, they have decorated the station with beautiful murals and have painted them well contrary to our Indian Railway station, which is always filthy and over crowded.

It was a beautiful welcoming change from our normal rouine.

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Favorite thing: It is presumed in outside world that in Islamic countries, girl child are not given modern education. But Egypt has gone far away in terms of education to the girl child. In many of the cities we noticed girls are going to school and collages. We also spoke to a few working girls who spoke good English and are fully aware of wht is hapening in the world.

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Favorite thing: God has been very kind on Egypt by giving them the river Nile. They have benefitted for the generation since, human kind is active. It provided the the real life and civilization. Now in modern days the fertile Nile soil has turned the desert in to an Oasis in all respect.

We found the vegetables, fruits are being grown in many parts of the city as well apart from both the banks of the Nile river. It really shows how hard working people of Egypt are, they are exploring every opportunity to turn their city as Green!

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Favorite thing: These wonderful craftsmen are responsible for creating life in the stones. They work relentlessly for hours to create the magic in the stones. In the Alabaster Factory, they showed us the process to make beautiful articles from raw Alabaster chunks taken from the nearby mines. How they cut it, heat up, then carve the stone to give it a shape to make it an item for the showroom.

This process is going on for centuries, generation after generation.

Favorite thing: I was tasked to plan our vacation to Egypt and I scoured the internet for tours at Luxor and Cairo. I was lucky to contact a local tour operator for our tour at Luxor, couple Mohamed and Jann at www.reallifeegypt.com. They suggested the attractions to see and were readily flexible to adapt to our requests and budget unlike other tour operators whose prices were already fixed and higher for the same attractions. We were fortunate to be given a knowledgable guide who even accompanied us and bargained for us for souvenirs to bring home.

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Favorite thing: We have stayed in Luxor (west bank) several times and found that ALI, who runs the Africa Restaurant close to the ferry, is always knowledgable and helpful. He also has a taxi and is an authorised guide. His international telephone number is 0020123658722.
Have fun and give him my love.
Stewart

Fondest memory: The people are so friendly and helpful

Favorite thing: Luxor is situated in 670 km to the south from Cairo and 70 km to the South from Qina (Qena). It has about 100 thousand inhabitants.

Luxor is located on the right bank of the Nile. Nowadays silent and small town it was referred as Thebes in days of the New Empire and it is considered that it was the capital of Egypt.

Numerous architectural monuments of Luxor are entered into the List of the world cultural heritage of UNESCO. Because of the historical value and wide popularity among tourists Luxor is allocated in an independent administrative unit.

Inhabited quarters last along the bank of the Nile.

Fondest memory: You may watch my 2 min 31 sec VIDEO-Clip on my personal YouTube channel: Egypt Luxor Downtown and Temple in April, 2007

Favorite thing: The West Bank of the Nile near Luxor or West Thebes is even more interesting in many aspects than the East Bank, which often has the name of East Thebes with its Karnak and Luxor Temples. Colossi of Memnon, Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, Valley of the Kings, Temple of Ramesses III (Medinet Habu), Village of Deir el-Medinah and others are the highlights of the West Thebes. They are the purls of the ancient Egypt history and culture.

The mortuary temple of Hatshepsut of untraditional appearance which appears to be in harmony with the surrounding environment.
The Temple nestles at the foot of the cliffs in a natural "bay" on the West Bank of Luxor. This area had long been sacred to the goddess Hathor. In the 7th century AD, it was named after a Coptic monastery in the area, known as the “Northern monastery”. There is a theory suggesting that the Temple, in the Early Christian Period, was used as a Coptic monastery.
After the introduction of Christianity, Hatshepsut’s temple was used as a monastery. Its modern name Deir el-Bahri is Arabic for "Northern Monastery."
The Temple served for her posthumous worship and to honor the glory of Amun and the other gods.
The individual parts of the Temple of Hatshepsut correspond to the classical form of Theban mortuary temples with pylon, courts, hypostyle hall, sun court, chapel for the royal cult, and sanctuary.

Admission price to the Temple of Hatshepsut is 25 LE ($5)
Open hours from 6.00 till 18.00 (in April).
Ticket kiosk is located 1 km to the North of Colossies on the cross of the road to the Nile and the road which is parallel to the Theban Hills.
You can buy all types of tickets for sightseeing of Western Thebes in this kiosk.
Colossies are free of charge.

Vt has the separate location for the West bank of the Nile (Thebes). I've put my page here with 21 tips and 74 pics.

Fondest memory: You may see more pics on my Travelogue