LUXOR

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'Luxor' (Arabic: 'الأقصر ') is a city in Upper (southern) Egypt and the capital of the Al Uqsur governorate, population 376,022 (1999 survey), area 416 km² ^[1]. As the site of the ancient Egyptian city of Thebes, Luxor has frequently been characterised as the "world's greatest open air museum", the ruins of the temple complexes at Karnak and Luxor standing within the modern city. Immediately opposite, across the Nile River, lie the monuments, temples and tombs on the West Bank Necropolis, which include the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens. Thousands of international tourists arrive each year to visit these monuments, their presence forming a large part of the economic basis for the modern city. As a result, Luxor represents an excellent base for touring Upper Egypt, and is a popular holiday destination, both in its own right and as a starting or finishing point for Nile cruises.

Contents

History

Economy

Infrastructure

Transportation

Sights of modern-day Luxor

See also

References

External links

History

For the ancient settlement of Luxor, see Thebes, Egypt

Economy

The economy of Luxor, like that of many other Egyptian cities, is heavily dependent upon tourism. Large numbers of people also work in agriculture, particularly sugarcane.
Don't be afraid to organise outings with locals, providing you agree everything beforehand, they can save you a lot of money compared to ridicolous prices that tour companies charge. From personal experience I can name Moses as a very trustworthy, reliable and friendly local who took great care of us throughout the week. He is based opposite the Mercure Luxor Hotel and you can easily identify him as he is possibly the tallest one there and has a motor boat called 'The King of Love'! Organising trips with the locals is great for the economy and also can save you lots of money!

Infrastructure

Transportation

Luxor is served by an international airport, Luxor International Airport.
A bridge was recently constructed a few miles upstream of the main town of Luxor, allowing ready land access from the East Bank to the West Bank.
Traditionally, however, river crossings have been the domain of several ferry services. The so-called 'local ferry' (also known as the 'National Ferry') continues to operate from a landing opposite the Temple of Luxor. The single fare (March 2007) is 1 L.E. - one Egyptian Pound - per passenger for foreigners. This ferry is mainly used by the locals although a number of foreigners do use it. The sites on the West Bank are further than you think and you will need transport, a taxi-driver may well approach you on the ferry, make sure you agree a price. There are also local cars that reach some of the monuments for 25 piasters. Alternatively motorboats line the East Bank of the Nile all day providing a quicker, but more expensive (5L.E.), crossing to the other side.
The city of Luxor on the East Bank has several bus routes used mainly by locals. Tourists often rely on horse carriages, called "caleches," for transport.
For domestic travel along the route of the Nile, a rail service operates several times a day. A morning train and sleeping train can be taken from the station situated around 1/4 mile from Luxor Temple. The line runs between several major destinations, including Cairo to the north and Aswan to the south.

Sights of modern-day Luxor

★ East Bank

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★ Luxor Temple

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★ Luxor International Airport

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★ Karnak Temple

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★ Luxor Museum

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★ Mummification Museum

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★ Winter Palace Hotel

★ West Bank

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★ Valley of the Kings

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★ Valley of the Queens

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★ Medinet Habu (memorial temple of Ramesses III)

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★ The Ramesseum (memorial temple of Ramesses II)

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★ Deir al-Madinah (workers' village)

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★ Tombs of the Nobles

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★ Deir el-Bahri (temple of Hatshepsut, etc.)

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★ Malkata (palace of Amenophis III)

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★ Colossi of Memnon (memorial temple of Amenophis III)
==Twinnings==

★ Baltimore, United States

See also

★ Aswan

★ 17 November 1997 Luxor massacre

References

1. luxor.gov.eg

External links

★ Luxor4u Forums: Luxor4u is a dedicated website and forum, Find out anything you need to know about Luxor, Egypt

★ Theban Mapping Project: website devoted to the Valley of the Kings and other sites in the Theban Necropolis

★ Luxor Travel Photo Luxor Pictures published under Creative Commons License

★ A tourist's insider guide to Luxor - updated Extrageographic Magazine

★ A virtual travel to Luxor and Egypt with photos, maps and geocoded background information