Middle East - Anthony Ham [122]
TELEPHONE
Cardphones are scattered around town, and mobile phone shops selling local SIM cards and top-up vouchers are concentrated along Sharias al-Mahatta and Televizyon.
Telephone centrales can be found at the Old Winter Palace Hotel (Map; 8am-10pm); on Sharia al-Karnak (Map; 24hr); and at the train station ( 8am-8pm).
TOURIST INFORMATION
Main tourist office (Map; 920 0004; Corniche el-Nil; 8am-8pm) Opposite Luxor Museum, down along the waterfront. Branches at the train station ( 237 0258) and airport ( 237 2306) keep the same hours.
Tourist police (Map; 237 6620) In the bazaar south of Luxor Temple.
VISA EXTENSIONS
Passport office (Map; 238 0885; Sharia Khalid ibn al-Walid; 8am-2pm Sat-Thu) Almost opposite the Isis Pyramisa Hotel, south of the town centre. There’s a branch in the West Bank, near the Antiquities Inspectorate Ticket Office.
Sights
EAST BANK
Temples of Karnak
Simply referred to as Karnak (Map; 238 0270; adult/student E£50/25, tripod E£20; 6am-5.30pm Oct-May, 6am-6.30pm Jun-Sep), the vast complex of extraordinary temples, pylons, obelisks and sanctuaries is quite possibly the most incredible sight in all of Egypt. A stunning representation of the power and prestige of the pharaohs and their Theban gods, one can only feel Lilliputian when confronted with this sprawling 2-sq-km site. Built, modified, enlarged and restored over a period of 1500 years, this was the most important place of worship in Egypt during the New Kingdom, and the main structure, the Temple of Amun, is considered to be the largest religious building ever built.
A sphinx-lined path that once went to the Nile takes you to the massive 1st Pylon, from where you end up in the Great Court. To the left is the Temple of Seti II, dedicated to the triad of Theban gods – Amun, Mut and Khons. In the centre of the court is the one remaining column of the Kiosk of Taharqa, a 25th-dynasty Ethiopian pharaoh.
Beyond the 2nd Pylon is the unforgettable 6000-sq-metre Great Hypostyle Hall. Built by Amenhotep III, Seti I and Ramses II, this hall is a pylon garden of 134 gargantuan, papyrus-shaped stone pillars that can only be described as humbling.
You can also visit an Open Museum (adult/student E£25/15) off to the left of the first court, where you can see a collection of statuary found throughout the complex, as well as three well-preserved chapels.
The prerequisite sound-and-light show ( 237 2241; www.soundandlight.com.eg; adult E£75, video camera E£40) is held here nightly. There are three or four performances in a variety of languages: check with the tourist office for the schedule or see the website.
A stampede of tour groups descends upon the site daily. It’s best to come here in the early morning, late afternoon, or around tour-group lunchtime.
Microbuses make the short run to the temples from Luxor’s centre for 50pt. A calèche (horse-drawn carriage) costs E£10 from Luxor Temple; a taxi costs E£10 to E£15.
Luxor Temple
Built on the site of an older sanctuary dedicated to the Theban triad, Luxor Temple (Map; 237 2408; adult/student E£40/20, tripod E£20; 6am-9pm Oct-May, 6am-10pm Jun-Sep) is a strikingly graceful piece of Nile-side architecture. Largely built by the New Kingdom pharaoh Amenhotep III, Tutankhamun, Ramses II, Nectanebo, Alexander the Great and various Romans all left their mark with additions to it over the centuries. Not to be outdone, the Arabs also built a mosque in an interior court in the 13th century.
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WEST BANK SITES
Tickets to the following sites must be purchased at the Antiquities Inspectorate Ticket Office (Map). Opening hours are from 6am to 4pm daily October to May, and 6am to 5pm June to September. Deir al-Bahri and the Valleys of the Kings and Queens have dedicated ticket offices and opening hours. All sites are shown on the map on Click here.
Site Adult/student (E£)
Assasif Tombs (Tombs of Kheruef & Ankhhor) 52/15
Assasif Tombs (Tomb of Pabasa) 25/15
Deir al-Medina Temple & Tombs (excl. Peshedu) 25/15
Deir