Luxurious Luxor - The East Bank - Day 2

Karnak Temple.

Simply incredible and not to be missed! This is an enclosure containing a number of temples to Amun, the patron deity of Thebes. Some parts of the eastern side of the complex may have been built as early as the 20th century B.C. Every ruler has contributed to the site - adding statues, temples and halls. The farther you go into the complex, the older it is. The entrance, shown at left, was never completed but stands over 141 ft. high.

Hypostyle Hall.

There are 134 columns in this section of Karnak Temple, all carved with incredibly rich and well preserved hieroglyphics. The hall was planned by Amenhotep III (who built the older parts of Luxor Temple), but actually built by Seti I, with Ramses II (who contibuted some spectacular additions to Luxor Temple) adding relief work and decoration. The second axis of the temple was added by Hatshepsut (1479-1456 B.C.)

The alabaster sphinx of Tutankhamun in Karnak Temple.


















Ramses II and one of his wives. He had 4 wives and later married his daughters. It is said that he had 92 sons and 106 daughters during his 67 year reign!

Sphinx Way.

Sphinxes line the road on both sides from Karnak Temple to Luxor Temple (3 kilometers). The government is excavating all of them in the hopes of making the area into a living museum - within 5 years! Anyone unlucky enough to have a house or apartment built over these is being relocated to other parts of the city so that the excavation can be accomplished.






Banana Island on the West Bank.

Our last adventure in Luxor was an early evening motorized faluca ride down the Nile to Banana Island. Once we docked, we were led by one of the inhabitants passed this little marketplace and into a magnificent banana grove.

Falucas docked at Banana Island. Our faluca, Janet's Dream (at right). Ayman is helping Yvonne cross the gangplank to reboard.