LUXOR, Egypt: The name Luxor immediately conjures up images of desert and ancient temples. While Luxor’s magnificent temples are among the best archeological sites in the world, Luxor is much more. It is bustling city and peaceful countryside at the same time, ancient and modern, rich and impoverished. Luxor, formerly the ancient city of Thebes, is usually visited with its southern neighbor Aswan. While it does not quite have the same charm and tranquility of Aswan, it is unique in its own right. Thebes was the great capital of Egypt during the New Kingdom, and city of the god Amon-Ra. Like Aswan, the city consists of an East and West bank. On the East are all the hotels, bars, discos, souks, bazaars and restaurants – a modern day city. Horse drawn carriages – hantoors – whiz back and forth with tourists across the Corniche. These horses are also responsible for the mild dung smell that you soon become accustomed to. Modern buildings of several stories line broad and narrow streets. It is a fairly noisy city – by no means like Cairo – but you won’t be spared the honking horns, speeding microbuses and traffic jams. The hassle can also be a bit of a nuisance. Street peddlers show up at every corner to sell you anything, offering you “Egyptian price!†Politely refuse and go on, its part of the Luxor atmosphere. The East bank’s two attractions are Karnak temple and Luxor temple. Basically, if you haven’t seen these, you haven’t been to Luxor. For transportation, any taxi driver is willing to drive you anywhere provided you pay. It is much more fun, though, to get around using local transport. Luxor temple is very easy to reach; it’s downtown and right by the Corniche. Luxor temple is an example of beautiful architecture. It is left open after sunset, the best time to visit it. The statues and ceilings bathed in the soft glow of lights make for a truly enchanting experience. It dates back to 1400 BC, when it was built in dedication to the Theban triad of the god Amun, goddess Mut and their son the moon god Khonsu. Several Pharaohs contributed to the temple over the ages. The temple was the site of the Opet, the most important festival of Thebes. During it, the barque shrines of Amun, Mut and Khonsu were carried from nearby Karnak to their home in Luxor temple. It reaffirmed the Pharaoh’s authority and ties with Amun (King of Gods). Luxor temple’s history is not restricted to the Pharaohs. It contains relics from Egypt’s Roman period, with one of the chambers stuccoed over by Romans in the 3rd century and painted with relics of Roman officials. Luxor temple also offers a piece of Egypt’s Islamic history. Stand in the central hall and look upwards to see the Mosque of Abu al Haggag al Uqsuri, unwittingly built above the temple in the 14th century, when it was buried under sand. Ironically, during the moulid (festival) to celebrate al Haggag’s birthday, a felucca is pulled in procession through the town, a modern day vestige of the Opet. The massive Karnak temple is about a half hour walking distance from Luxor temple. Everything is on a gigantic scale at Karnak. It dates back to the Middle Kingdom, around 1965 BC. Over almost 1500 years, almost every Pharaoh left his mark. The Ptolemies and early Christians also added to the complex. Do not miss the eerie, breathtaking nighttime Sound and Light show. This 90 minute show casts you in pitch darkness and uses floodlights and speakers to retell the tales of the most famous Pharaohs. You follow the lights through the temple and end by sitting by the Sacred Lake to hear the story of the Opet festival and Akhenaten, the monotheist Pharaoh who called for the worship of only one God. Luxor’s West bank is reached by a public ferry near Luxor temple. Once it crosses over to the other side, it is as if you have been cast into another bygone era. High rise buildings are replaced by farmers’ houses and apart from the paved roads that lead to the tourist landmarks, the west bank consists of farmland and small houses. The favored transportation method is not taxi but kaboot; an ancient pickup truck where passengers sit in the back under a cloth canopy. Take a kaboot going to “Gurna†and tell the driver to drop you off as close as possible to the Valley of Kings – another must see. Hitch a ride to the Valley; indeed a valley in the middle of the barren desert. The Kings’ tombs were hidden deep in the mountains, but most were robbed over time. At any given time, many tombs are closed for restoration, but the most interesting are that of Tutankhamen and Thutmose III. The latter is reached by climbing a very steep flight of stairs into the very dusty inside of a mountain. In many tombs, the actual colors are beautifully preserved. An additional must see is the Temple of Hatshepsut, site of the notorious 1997 terrorist attacks. It lies on the other side of a huge mountain separating it from the Valley. Rather than go by road as most do – climb the several hundred meters mountain to the top and descend from the other side. The climb is very steep and a bit scary, but you won’t regret it. At the summit, there is total solitude. Nothing can be heard but your echo and the wind howling in your ears. Views of the rocky mountains are nothing short of magical. There is such a breeze at the top that the scorching sun won’t be felt. Panoramic views of Luxor’s Nile, farms and east bank are priceless. It’s always fun to look down at how tiny the Hatshepsut temple is from above – a view never found on postcards. Descend towards it. You will meet a few guards. Inside the mountain, several caves exist, now walled up with rocks, where the terrorists hid before the attack. Hatshepsut’s importance derives from the fact that she was Egypt’s only female Pharaoh and had a very successful reign. The fascinating architecture of the temple is dazzling; it is right at the foot of the cliffs, from which it is partially cut. Done with the temple, take some time to wander aimlessly through the countryside. This is the real Upper Egyptian countryside. You’ll see men and women toiling in the burning heat and little children playing with chickens and cows. At one point, a poor farmer may even offer you a donkey ride for money. You are much faster on foot, though. The West bank has numerous other less visited attractions, most built by and dedicated to Pharaohs. The most distinct is Deir al Madina, since it is one of the rare tombs available that housed ordinary people. The simple tombs are a world away from the vast riches the Pharaohs lived in. The paintings in the tombs give an idea of what ordinary life may have been like. After a long day, relax on a bench by the Nile back on the East, or on the hotel rooftop. Luxor’s nighttime weather is cool and crisp. This is Luxor; adventure, relaxation, hot, cold, new and old in one chaotic package. BM
