(the entrance to the V.O.T.K.)

The tombs of the world-famous Valley of the Kings were the site I was anticipating the most to visit in Luxor. I remember in fifth grade after finishing our unit on Ancient Egypt that the entire class worked together to recreate a pharaoh’s tomb (yours truly made a headrest, with the help of my parents, out of toilet paper rolls, wood, and cloth that I painted gold and blue). We visited three tombs and the vivid detail and complex hieroglyphics in each one was more splendid than the one before.  It was unreal entering King Tutankhamun’s tomb, retracing the same steps that Howard Carter took many years ago, and seeing the mummified body. I can’t even conceptualize how thrilled, shocked, and overwhelmed Carter must have been upon uncovering the exceptional riches that were within the tomb.

Not far from the Valley of the Kings is Queen Hatshepsut’s temple at Deir el Bahri. The simple lines of this stately monument nestled into the surrounding mountain scape is perfect for a queen who ruled as a king.

(where Howard Carter stayed during the King Tut excavation)

(the entrance of the Queen’s temple)

(columns at the queen’s temple)

(the beautiful landscape)

(a home made from mud on the way to the West Bank)

I’m a firm believer in staying in a hotel room with a view and the Sheraton Luxor Resort did not disappoint with stunning sights of the Nile river from the balcony. It’s dizzying just thinking of the history and mystery associated with the longest river on Earth (and the only one that can be seen from space!) and the role it played in ancient Egypt in terms of agriculture, religion, and transportation. My parents and I went on not one, but two felucca rides on the calm river waters surrounded by lush trees that were the perfect way to wind down after busy days of sightseeing.

(felucca boats in a row)

(palm trees on “banana island”)

(an apropos welcome gift upon arriving on “banana island”)

(teeming greenery)

(a perfectly pink hibiscus)

(an interesting composition of mud bricks)

(two statues guarding the entrance to the temple)

The aforementioned two mile stretch of road flanked on both sides by sphinxes leads up to the Luxor Temple’s looming archways and giant statues that were built in the New Kingdom. The grand scale of the temple is appropriate for its purpose, which was to celebrate the annual “Beautiful Feast of Opet” held in honor of the god Amun.

(Amenhotep’s Colonnade)

(an example of the incredible detail throughout the temple)

(the side of mosque located in the temple)

(I’ve used up almost all the pages in my passport!)

Three airports, four plane rides, eight hours of sleep, and one box of Clif bars later, we arrived in Luxor, Egypt, which was the ancient capital city of Thebes in the New Kingdom. Our tour began at the majestic Karnak Temple, whose size alone is impressive at 254 acres. One can easily get lost among the labyrinth of temples, sanctuaries, shrines, columns, and obelisks that were added by the thirty successive pharaohs that ruled over the almost 1300 years it took to construct the complex.

(Avenue of the Sphinxes leading to the entrance)

(the sacred lake)

(the massive columns at Hypostle Hall)

(one of the many obelisks)

(it’s amazing to me that there is still residual paint after thousands of years)