Citizendia

For other uses, see Luxor (disambiguation).
Location of Luxor on the map of Egypt
Location of Luxor on the map of Egypt

Luxor (Arabic: الأقصر ) is a city in Upper (southern) Egypt and the capital of Luxor Governorate. This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. Luxor Governorate ( الأقصر) is one of the governorates of Egypt. Its population numbers 376,022 (1999 survey), and its area is about 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. Thebes ( Thēbai) was a city in Ancient Egypt located about 800 km south of the Mediterranean on the east bank of the river Nile ( The Karnak temple complex, universally known only as Karnak, describes a vast conglomeration of ruined temples chapels pylons and other buildings Luxor Temple is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the River Nile in the city today known as Luxor (ancient Thebes 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. The Nile (النيل, Ancient Egyptian iteru or Ḥ'pī, Coptic piaro or phiaro) is a major north-flowing River The Theban Necropolis is an area of the west bank of the Nile, opposite Thebes in Egypt. The Valley of the Kings ( Arabic: وادي الملوك Wadi Biban el-Muluk; "Gates of the King" is a Valley in Egypt where for The Valley of the Queens, also known as Biban el-Harim (بيبان الحريم Biban el-Sultanat (بيبان السلطانات and Wadi el-Melikat Thousands of international tourists arrive each year to visit these monuments, and their presence represents 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. Upper Egypt (صعيد مصر Sa'id Misr) is a narrow strip of land that extends from the cataract boundaries of modern-day Aswan to the area between

Contents

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. Thebes ( Thēbai) was a city in Ancient Egypt located about 800 km south of the Mediterranean on the east bank of the river Nile ( Large numbers of people also work in agriculture, particularly sugarcane. Sugarcane ( Saccharum) is a genus of 6 to 37 species (depending on taxonomic interpretation of tall perennial grasses (family Poaceae tribe Andropogoneae

Infrastructure

Transportation

Luxor is served by an international airport, Luxor International Airport. Luxor International Airport is the main Airport serving the city of Luxor, Egypt.

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. Do not ask caleche drivers to go to the west bank as it is too far for the horses.

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. Aswan (formerly spelled Assuan (in standard أسوان Aswān) Egyptian: Swenet ( trade) Coptic: Swān; Greek

Sights of modern-day Luxor

Twinnings

Gallery

Hot-air ballooning in Luxor

Street market in Luxor

Pharaonic statue in Luxor Temple

Panoramic View of Luxor

A caleche four wheel carriage

See also

References

  1. ^ luxor.gov.eg

External links

Malkata (or Malqata) is a place located on the west bank of Thebes Egypt, in Egypt, in the desert south of Medinet Habu. The Colossi of Memnon (known to locals as el-Colossat or es-Salamat are two massive stone statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III. Kazanlak (Казанлък is a Bulgarian town located in the middle of the plain of the same name at the foot of the Balkan mountain range, The state of Bulgaria (България transliterated bg-Latn ''Balgaria'' The country preserves the traditions (in ethnic name language and alphabet of the First Bulgarian The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Luxor Temple is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the River Nile in the city today known as Luxor (ancient Thebes Aswan (formerly spelled Assuan (in standard أسوان Aswān) Egyptian: Swenet ( trade) Coptic: Swān; Greek
© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
 Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic