Luxor

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For the ancient settlement at Luxor, see Thebes, Egypt. For other uses, see Luxor
(disambiguation).
Luxor
??????
City
Top First pylon in Precinct of Amun-Re, 2nd left Night view in Luxor Temple, 2nd
right Colossi of Memnon Statue, Middle left Pillars of Great Hypostyle Hall ancient
site, Middle right Hatshepsut Temple in Deir el-Bchari, 4th left Statue of Ramses ?
in Karnak Temple, 4th right Needle Monument in Karnak Temple, Bottom View of
Pillars of Great Hypostyle Hall ancient site
Top First pylon in Precinct of Amun-Re, 2nd left Night view in Luxor Temple, 2nd
right Colossi of Memnon Statue, Middle left Pillars of Great Hypostyle Hall ancient
site, Middle right Hatshepsut Temple in Deir el-Bchari, 4th left Statue of Ramses ?
in Karnak Temple, 4th right Needle Monument in Karnak Temple, Bottom View of
Pillars of Great Hypostyle Hall ancient site
Luxor is located in Egypt LuxorLuxorLocation of Luxor within Egypt
Coordinates 2541'N 3239'ECoordinates 2541'N 3239'E
Country Egypt
Governorate Luxor
Area[1]
Total 416 km2 (161 sq mi)
Elevation 76 m (249 ft)
Population (2012)[2]
Total 506,588
Density 1,200km2 (3,200sq mi)
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
Postal code 85511
Area code(s) (+20) 95
Website www.luxor.gov.eg
Luxor ('l?k.s??r or 'l?k.s??r;[3] Arabic ???????? al-Uq?ur?; Egyptian Arabic Lo??or
IPA ['lo?s?o?]; Sa'idi Arabic Log?or ['logs?or], Coptic ??) is a city in Upper
(southern) Egypt and the capital of Luxor Governorate. The population numbers
487,896 (2010 estimate),[2] with an area of approximately 417 square kilometres
(161 sq mi).[1]

As the site of the Ancient Egyptian city of Thebes,[4] Luxor has frequently been
characterized as the world's greatest open-air museum, as the ruins of the temple
complexes at Karnak and Luxor stand within the modern city. Immediately opposite,
across the River Nile, lie the monuments, temples and tombs of the West Bank
Necropolis, which includes the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens.

Thousands of tourists from all around the world arrive annually to visit these
monuments, contributing greatly to the economy of the modern city.

Contents [hide]
1 Etymology
2 History
3 Sights of modern-day Luxor
3.1 East bank
3.2 West bank
4 Climate
5 Coptic Catholic Eparchy
6 Economy
7 Tourism development
7.1 2013 hot air balloon crash
8 Infrastructure
8.1 Transport
9 International relations
9.1 Twinning
10 Gallery
11 See also
12 References
13 Sources and external links
Etymology[edit]
The name Luxor comes from the Arabic al-?uq?ur (??????), lit. the palaces, from the
collective plural of qa?r (???),[5] which may be a loanword from the Latin castrum
fortified camp.[6] (Compare Alczar of Seville.)

History[edit]

Luxor Temple
Luxor was the ancient city of Thebes, the great capital of (Upper) Egypt during the
New Kingdom, and the glorious city of Amun, later to become the god Amun-Ra. The
city was regarded in the Ancient Egyptian texts as w3s.t (approximate pronunciation
Waset), which meant city of the sceptre and also as t3 ip3t (conventionally
pronounced as ta ipet and meaning the shrine) and then, in a later period, the
Greeks called it Thebai and the Romans after them Thebae. Thebes was also known as
the city of the 100 gates, sometimes being called southern Heliopolis ('Iunu-
shemaa' in Ancient Egyptian), to distinguish it from the city of Iunu or
Heliopolis, the main place of worship for the god Re in the north. It was also
often referred to as niw.t, which simply means city, and was one of only three
cities in Egypt for which this noun was used (the other two were Memphis and
Heliopolis); it was also called niw.t rst, southern city, as the southernmost of
them.

The importance of the city started as early as the 11th Dynasty, when the town grew
into a thriving city, by native nubi Egyptian, it was renowned for its high social
status and luxury, but also as a center for wisdom, art, religious and political
supremacy.[7] Montuhotep II who united Egypt after the troubles of the first
intermediate period brought stability to the lands as the city grew in stature. The
Pharaohs of the New Kingdom in their expeditions to Kush, in today's northern
Sudan, and to the lands of Canaan, Phoenicia and Syria saw the city accumulate
great wealth and rose to prominence, even on a world scale.[7] Thebes played a
major role in expelling the invading forces of the Hyksos from Upper Egypt, and
from the time of the 18th Dynasty to the 20th Dynasty, the city had risen as the
political, religious and military capital of Ancient Egypt.

The city attracted peoples such as the Babylonians, the Mitanni, the Hittites of
Anatolia (modern-day Turkey), the Canaanites of Ugarit, the Phoenicians of Byblos
and Tyre, the Minoans from the island of Crete.[7] A Hittite prince from Anatolia
even came to marry with the widow of Tutankhamun, Ankhesenamun.[7] The political
and military importance of the city, however, faded during the Late Period, with
Thebes being replaced as political capital by several cities in Northern Egypt,
such as Bubastis, Sais and finally Alexandria.

However, as the city of the god Amun-Ra, Thebes remained the religious capital of
Egypt until the Greek period.[7] The main god of the city was Amun, who was
worshipped together with his wife, the Goddess Mut, and their son Khonsu, the God
of the moon. With the rise of Thebes as the foremost city of Egypt, the local god
Amon rose in importance as well and became linked to the sun god Ra, thus creating
the new 'king of gods' Amon-Ra. His great temple, at Karnak just north of Thebes,
was the most important temple of Egypt right until the end of antiquity.

Later, the city was attacked by Assyrian emperor Assurbanipal who installed the
Libyan prince on the throne, Psamtik I.[7] The city of Thebes was in ruins and fell
in significance. However, Alexander the Great did arrive at the temple of Amun,
where the statue of the god was transferred from Karnak during the Opet Festival,
the great religious feast.[7] Thebes remained a site of spirituality up to the
Christian era, and attracted numerous Christian monks in the Roman Empire who
established monasteries amidst several ancient monuments including the temple of
Hatshepsut, now called Deir el-Bahri (the northern monastery).[7]

Sights of modern-day Luxor[edit]

East bank[edit]
Luxor Temple
Luxor International Airport
Karnak Temple
Luxor Museum
Mummification Museum
Winter Palace Hotel

A panoramic view of the great hypostyle hall in the Precinct of Amun Re

West bank[edit]
Valley of the Kings
Valley of the Queens
Medinet Habu (memorial temple of Ramesses III)
The Ramesseum (memorial temple of Ramesses II)
Deir el-Medina (workers' village)
Tombs of the Nobles
Deir el-Bahri (Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut, etc.)
Malkata (palace of Amenophis III)
Colossi of Memnon (memorial temple of Amenophis III)
Climate[edit]
Luxor has a hot desert climate (Kppen climate classification BWh) like the rest of
Egypt. Aswan and Luxor have the hottest summer days of any other city in Egypt.
Aswan and Luxor have nearly the same climate. Luxor is one of the sunniest and
driest cities in the world. Average high temperatures are above 40 C (104 F)
during summer (June, July, August) while average low temperatures remain above 22
C (72 F). During the coldest month of the year, average high temperatures remain
above 22.0 C (71.6 F) while average low temperatures remain above 5 C (41 F).

The climate of Luxor has precipitation levels lower than even most other places in
the Sahara, with less than 1 mm (0.04 in) of average annual precipitation. The
desert city is one of the driest ones in the world, and rainfall does not occur
every year. The air is mainly dry in Luxor but much more humid than in Aswan. There
is an average relative humidity of 39.9%, with a maximum mean of 57% during winter
and a minimum mean of 27% during summer.

The climate of Luxor is extremely clear, bright and sunny year-round, in all
seasons, with a low seasonal variation, with about some 4,000 hours of annual
sunshine, very close of the maximum theoretical sunshine duration.

In addition, Luxor, Minya, Sohag, Qena and Asyut have the widest difference of
temperatures between days and nights of any city in Egypt, with almost 16 C (29
F) difference.

The hottest temperature recorded was on May 15, 1991 which was 50 C (122 F) and
the coldest temperature was on February 6, 1989 which was -1 C (30 F).[8]

[hide]Climate data for Luxor

Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high C (F) 32.9
(91.2) 38.5
(101.3) 42.2
(108) 46.2
(115.2) 48.3
(118.9) 48.5
(119.3) 47.8
(118) 47.0
(116.6) 46.0
(114.8) 43.0
(109.4) 38.2
(100.8) 34.8
(94.6) 48.5
(119.3)
Average high C (F) 23.0
(73.4) 25.4
(77.7) 27.4
(81.3) 35.0
(95) 39.2
(102.6) 41.4
(106.5) 41.1
(106) 40.4
(104.7) 38.8
(101.8) 35.3
(95.5) 28.9
(84) 24.4
(75.9) 33.4
(92.1)
Daily mean C (F) 13.8
(56.8) 15.9
(60.6) 20.2
(68.4) 25.6
(78.1) 29.6
(85.3) 32.2
(90) 32.3
(90.1) 31.8
(89.2) 29.7
(85.5) 25.9
(78.6) 20.0
(68) 15.1
(59.2) 24.3
(75.7)
Average low C (F) 5.4
(41.7) 7.1
(44.8) 10.4
(50.7) 16.0
(60.8) 20.2
(68.4) 22.6
(72.7) 23.6
(74.5) 23.2
(73.8) 21.3
(70.3) 17.3
(63.1) 11.6
(52.9) 7.1
(44.8) 15.5
(59.9)
Record low C (F)