Luxor

Luxor, Egypt

Low angle view from the floor of Karnak’s Great Hypostyle Hall at sunrise, with a sphinx in the foreground and columns stretching into the light.

Go for the temples and tombs that stand inside and across from a working Nile city, ideally in the cooler months.

The place

Luxor is a city in Upper Egypt and the capital of Luxor Governorate, home to around 285,000 people. It is a low-rise, lively town on the east bank of the Nile, and the ruins sit within its streets rather than beyond its edge. The temples of Karnak and Luxor stand among ordinary houses, shops and cafés. Across the river, the West Bank holds royal tombs, funerary temples and the Valley of the Kings, which is why the city is often described as the world's greatest open-air museum.

Tourism is the main business. Large hotels and resorts line the river and the Corniche, and hot air balloons lift off over the fields at dawn and dusk. Peak season brings coaches to the major sites, and touts outside them can be persistent, so visitors who are not on an organised tour tend to find it easier to agree a fixed price for each journey in advance. Summer heat can become extreme by midday, which shapes the whole rhythm of a visit: early starts, a long rest in the afternoon, and walks along the river once the sun drops.

Churches and mosques share the old town with the temples, and daily life carries on around the monuments. The city lies about 670 km south of Cairo and roughly 220 km north of Aswan, so most people reach it by air or by the long road or rail routes along the valley.

Its story

The city that is now Luxor was once Thebes, a capital of Upper Egypt during the New Kingdom and the city of the god Amun, who later merged with Ra as Amun-Ra. Ancient Egyptian texts called it Waset, a name usually read as meaning city of the sceptre. In later Egyptian, a specific word was used to describe the massive temple that Arabic later called Karnak, a name that translates to fortified village. Greek speakers adapted the name as Thebai, and the Romans wrote it as Thebae.

The city was also called the city of the hundred gates, and it was sometimes set against the northern city of Heliopolis as a southern counterpart. Its prominence began well before the New Kingdom. In the Eleventh Dynasty the settlement grew into a busy urban centre, and the ruler Montuhotep II reunited Egypt after the unsettled years of the First Intermediate Period. Stability at home allowed the city to expand in stature.

The great wealth of the New Kingdom came from military campaigns. Pharaohs led expeditions south into Kush, in what is now northern Sudan, and east into Canaan, Phoenicia and Syria. The tribute and trade that followed made Thebes rich and prominent well beyond Egypt. The temples, tombs and palaces that survive on both banks date largely from this era, when the city was at the centre of Egyptian power.

What to see

Culture

Luxor is a Muslim-majority city with a long Coptic Christian presence, and daily life here is more conservative than in the big coastal resorts. Local people are generally warm towards visitors, and a simple greeting goes a long way. Dress is the main point of care: men and women alike tend to cover shoulders and knees in town and in villages, and women may wish to carry a light scarf for mosque visits and for sites where it is appreciated. Tipping is expected for guides, drivers, boatmen and those who look after your bag or open a tomb door. Carry small notes for this, since change is often short. Photography is generally fine at the temples and tombs, though some tombs prohibit cameras, so check signs at each entrance. Ask before photographing people, especially women, and never photograph inside a tomb where it is forbidden or where guards signal to stop. Shoes are not usually required to be removed at the temples, but do keep to marked paths, since many ancient surfaces are fragile and climbing on walls is forbidden.

What to wear

Traditional dress in Luxor, as across much of Egypt, centres on the galabeya, a long, loose robe worn by men and women in towns and villages. Cotton is the usual cloth, chosen for breathability in the heat, and it may be plain, striped or lightly embroidered. Men often pair it with a skullcap or a turban in rural areas, while women traditionally wear a headscarf, and in some communities a fuller veil. These garments are still worn daily by older people and by many in the countryside.

What people wear now is a mix. In the city centre, western-style trousers and shirts or blouses are common, alongside galabeyas for many men and for women in more traditional households. Younger people often dress in jeans and t-shirts. Headscarves remain widespread among women, and modest clothing is the general expectation in public.

For a visitor, lightweight long trousers or a long skirt and a shirt with sleeves are the most sensible choice in both heat and sun. A light scarf is useful for mosques, churches and any village visit. Sturdy closed shoes suit the uneven stone, sand and steps of the temples and tombs, and a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses are essential for the open West Bank.

What to eat

Plan it

Best time. November to March offers the most comfortable temperatures for walking the sites and riding balloons, while the summer months are very hot and can make the midday hours hard going. There is no long spring or autumn here, as the move from cool winter days to scorching summer heat happens quickly.

How long. 2–3

Getting there. Luxor International Airport is the nearest airport, with direct flights from Cairo of about an hour and some seasonal routes from Europe and the Gulf. There are no public buses from the airport to the centre, so take a hotel shuttle or a taxi, and agree the fare before setting off.

Budget. mid

Tips

Etiquette

Nearby

Sources