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Egypt Ancients Monuments
Things to Do

By Beth Hart

East Bank

-Market: The secret to markets in Egypt is to keep walking. Eventually the market will be less oriented for tourists and more targeted toward locals.

-Temples: A must see is Luxor temple at night. The lights make the reliefs clearer, and it can be very peaceful if there are no large tour groups. A mosque was constructed on TOP of part of the temple when the temple was still covered with sand. The mosque is still there, only the door is one story off the floor!

-Museums: Unlike the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, the Luxor Museum and the Mummification Museum focus on quality rather than quantity. The objects in these museums are organized in a coherent manner with modern displays that even have labels!

-A felucca ride at sunset. A felucca is a small boat with either sails or a motor. You can test your bargaining skills on this!

West bank

-More temples! Medinet Habu and the Ramesseum are the least visited of the temples, and very impressive. Medinet Habu is covered with depictions of foreigners, giving an insight into Ancient Egyptian stereotypes. Look out for the gruesome depictions of how Egyptians counted their enemy dead.

-Tombs: The Valley of the nobles is highly recommended. The tombs are scattered through out the village of Sheik Abd El-Korna . There are no roads, maps or signs, so you wander through with a local guide to find the tombs.

-Hike between the Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut temple and get a birds eye view of the monuments. This is a desert mountain hike, take lots of water!

-Rent a bike see the west bank monuments by bike, but only if you have plenty of time and like uphill rides through the desert.

General

-Day trips to other ancient sites are available in all hotels in Luxor. Some destinations are Abydos (highly recommended), Dendera, and Edfu.

Contact: Tel (+20) (0)95-310-912,or just show up.

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Hundreds of rolled and stacked oriental rugs
A Shop in the Market

Night view of lighted temple and symetrical walkway to it.
Luxor Temple

View of boat
Felucca

Egyptian coffin with clear face on the front
Mummification Museum, Luxor

Inside large columned room
Ramesseum, Luxor

Painting on the wall
Karnak Temple

Outside view, sand colored columned structures
Karnak Temple


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This book pulls together a huge amount of data to give a clear and concise look at the development, rise, decline, and excavation of Egyptian temples. Its coverage ranges from the earliest predynastic sites to Roman, Christian, and Islamic adaptations of the temples. When theories are in dispute (as they often are), the author says so and then explains his preference. The illustrations, elevations, plans, and reconstructions make even the most complicated temple plans clear.