Every city has a story. This story is written by people just like you and me. They used to laugh, play, cry and pray. When we walk in the streets of old cities, we are following their traces and steps.
Some stories are new and some tales are old…. very old.
Welcome to one of the oldest stories in history…. the story of Luxor
A Look in the history book
Luxor is considered to be the world’s greatest open-air museum as the ruins of the old temples and monuments are surrounded by modern buildings
People started living in the city 250,000 years ago. after the unification of Egypt 4000 years ago, Luxor became of one of the most important cities in the New kingdom.
Every stone of the city tells the history of the Ancient Egyptian civilization.
The Karnak temple is considered the oldest and most prestigious landmark in Luxor. It was built more than 4000 years ago and the construction continued for over 2000 years as every king put his mark on the site.
Deir al-Bahari is also considered to be one of the oldest buildings in Luxor. It was built to honor a king named “Nebhepetre Mentuhotep.”
Later, Luxor became a favorite spot for burial. Today, tourists can go to the valley of Kings and Valley of queens to visit the tombs of the ancient kings and queens.
The Luxor Temple was built on the east bank of the Nile to celebrate this Opet festival. This ceremony was one of the most important holidays in ancient Egypt.
At opet festival, statues of Egyptian gods “Amun, Mut (his wife), Khonsu (their son)” were carried between the Luxor and the Karnak temples.
Take a bite
One of the oldest meals in Luxor is a type of bread called “sun bread”. The name comes from the way of its making. Women put the dough under the sun to be fermented. This meal was pictured on the temples’ walls. Today, women still draw a circle on the dough. This is a symbol of the God “Ra”, the god of the sun.
Another meal is “El sekhina”, or “the hot meal” in English. It’s pastry that consists of many thin layers of dough. This meal consists of tomatoes, butter, garlic and meat.
People in Luxor like to eat this meal at “Eid al-Adha”, which is a famous Islamic holiday. Families sit together on the floor and have “El sekhina” on a round table called “tablya”.
Best time to visit the city
A lot of tourists tend to visit Luxor in winter to enjoy the cool weather. However, most hotels are booked and the prices are relatively high in this season. Others prefer to save their money and pay a visit in the summer. In that season, most rooms and facilities are cheap. Nevertheless, the temperatures are unbearable during the day.
It’s better to visit the city in the following months (March – April – October- November.) in these months, you would find both affordable hotels and pleasant weather.
Fun fact
- The famous Luxor hotel in Las Vegas took its name from the city of Luxor.
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