Habu Temple

Habu Temple was constructed as the resting place for Ramesses III of the New Kingdom. The tomb showcases impressive paintings still vibrant with color and deep carved hieroglyphics that remain in excellent condition. The main courtyard is lined with massive statues of Ramesses III in the form of the god Osiris. This temple shows with great precision the time and effort the Egyptians put into worshiping their gods and mighty pharaohs.

Valley Of The Kings

Appropriately enough most of the temples of the Theban Necropolis lie on the east side of the Nile where the sun rises and brings life, whereas the tombs lie on the west side of the Nile where the sun sets and brings an end to life. It is on this side one will find the infamous Valley of the Kings.

Constructed between 1600-1100 B.C. to be the final hidden resting place of the New Kingdom's pharaohs and nobles priests secretly had these tombs built underground. The Valley of the Kings contains a known 63 tombs and chambers with the latest being discovered only in 2008. It is also home to the famous 1922 discovery of King Tutankhamen's untouched tomb full of golden treasures.

The tombs were built to conceal and hide the mummies and their treasures from tomb raiders. Throughout time however they were all emptied by tomb robbers anyways or have sense been cleared out and sent to the Egypt Museum by explorers. Inside their rocky exteriors they remain in excellent condition with vibrant wall paintings telling the stories of these once all powerful god kings.

  

Al-Deit Al Bahari Temple

Al-Deit Al Bahari is a large mortuary full of various tombs, with the famed Hatshepsut's Temple at it's heart. The first of the tombs erected here began around 1500 B.C. for Mentuhotep II with a long history of more tombs and temples being constructed and even including some disheartening contemporary history. In 1997 terrorists massacred 62 people here, 58 being tourists which has since slowed down tourism greatly. In addition to a nearby hot air balloon crashed just today February 26, 2013 killing at least 18 tourists, which will certainly cripple tourism even further.

KARNAK

From the Luxor Temple a great roadway lined by miniature sphinx once connected Luxor to the larger and more impressive Karnak Temple. Karnak is the world's largest ancient religious site, much of which is still standing in phenomenal condition today. Karnak was used as a place of worship for many different reasons but primarily for Amun Re, the primary God of the Theban Triad. It is full of temples, pylons, columns, obelisks, chapels and impressive statues all covered in magnificently preserved hieroglyphs.

COLLOSI OF MEMNON

Still standing tall in the Thebian necropolis are towering twin statues of Amenhotep III. Each one stands at about 18 meters high and weighs approximately 720 tonnes. These 2 behemoth statues once stood guard at the Amenhotep Memorial Temple which was by far the largest of its time, covering 35 hectares. Although badly damaged, these 3,400 year old statues still tower over the land but rather than protect, they are now just onlookers over the vast sugar cane fields of the Upper Nile.

 

LUXOR TEMPLE

Along the east shores of the Nile River in the heart of Luxor, formerly known as Thebes stands the Luxor Temple. Thebes was once the capital of the world and as such, it retains its importance in history. The temple is home to 2 obelisks made of red granite and a massive statue of Ramesses II stands at the entrance of the temple. 

This ancient temple has seen much change over the years and a mosque now stands on top of the former pharaonic temple. The Romans also painted murals over many of the ancient hieroglyphs while like many ancient treasures, one of the obelisks have been removed and taken to Paris. Even with these changes, the Luxor Temple still is an impressive structure still mostly intact and a true showcase of the city.  

 

LUXOR MUSEUM

Although it has a much smaller and less impressive collection than it's counterpart in Cairo, the Luxor Museum is far more informative for novices and scholars alike. Each piece is properly presented and well explained as to where/when it came from, how it was found, the restoration process, and it's significance.

The museum also hits close to home with it's recently acquired mummy believed to be that of Ramesses I, recovered from the Niagara Museum and Dare Devil Hall of Fame in Niagara Falls, Ontario. This former pharaoh and God to his people sat shamefully on display as a freak show attraction for tourists nearly 130 years. It was finally purchased for $2,000,000 by Emory University in Atalanta and at last returned to Egypt in 2003 where he now lay on display back in the land he once reigned.

SALADIN CITADEL

Overlooking Islamic Cairo, Mokattam hill is surrounded by old stone fortifications built in the 1100-1200's known as the Saladin Citadel. The centerpiece of the hill is the Citadel itself completed in 1184 which would reside as the home to the Egyptian government until the 1800's. Today Saladin Citadel is referred to as the Mohammed Ali Citadel due to the towering Mohammed Ali Mosque which began construction in 1830 but was not be completed until 27 years later. This mosque truly is the gem in the crown of Cairo's magnificent centerpiece, showing the former glory of the city.