Despite its prominent name, Luxor Temple is actually the second most famous temple in Luxor behind the much larger and greater Temple of Karnak just down the road. However, Luxor Temple has several unique features of its own that merit a visit and some independent attention. The first and most obvious aspect of Luxor Temple […]
History
The Valley of the Queens
The Valley of the Queens in the area of Luxor is a lesser visited royal necropolis in which various family members of several dynasties of pharaohs were laid to rest. As the name suggests, many queens were buried here in elaborate tombs befitting their status and wealth, but many princesses and even princes had dedicated […]
World’s Oldest Haute Couture
Anyone a fan of vintage fashion? How about 5000 year old couture? One of the neat things about Egypt is that its advanced civilization was good at both recording and preserving its own history. Unlike most other of the world’s great ancient civilizations whose moist climates caused the disintegration of its remnants thousands of years […]
The World’s First Drag “King”
Beyonce, Gaga, even Hillary ain’t got nothing on ancient Egypt’s biggest diva. She ruled the world’s most powerful empire over 3400 years before women even got the vote in the United States. And to do it, she became the world’s first and most famous drag king. Queen Hapshetsut was already a big deal back in […]
Flashback: The Other Old Cairo
I tend to think of there really being two Old Cairos. The first is, of course, what most people who live in and visit Cairo refer to when they talk about Old Cairo. This would be the area of modern Cairo in which ruins and remnants from many of the city’s magnificent prior eras are […]
Abu Simbel, Ramses the Great’s Greatest Monument to Himself
Ramses II was one of ancient Egypt’s greatest Pharaohs. Not only did he manage to live into his 90s in an era devoid of modern medicine and build an empire over which he ruled for 66 years, but he is thought by some to be the Pharaoh featured in the Bible during the Exodus. (This […]
The Valley of the Kings
When most people think of Egypt, they usually think of three things: pyramids, tombs, and temples. While the first of those, the Pyramids, are primarily located just outside of Cairo in the north of Egypt, the most famous tombs and temples are located down south in and around the city of Luxor. And of Luxor’s […]
The Sphinx
The Sphinx occupies a prominent space on the same plateau as the Pyramids of Giza, just downhill a little and due east from Khafre’s (Chephren’s) pyramid (the middle one) but still inside the compound’s walls and gates. Visiting the Sphinx is included in the price of the same ticket that gets you into the Pyramids […]