East Bank
Dedicated to the principal of thebes Amon, it was built by the New Kingdom Pharaoh Amenophis III, and expanded over centuries by famous pharaohs including Ramses II, Tit, and also Alexander the Great. The grandeur of the edifice represents that of Thebes at its zenith It was known to the ancient Egyptians as “ lpet Reseyet ” , the harem of the South .

Karnak Temples
Leading to the temples is the avenue of the rams , representing the supreme theban god Amon, symbol of fertility and growth . Beneath the rams heads , small statues of Ramses II were carved . Karnak is composed of a vast complex of temples, chapels and other buildings of various dates. The name Karnak comes from the nearby village of El-Karnak. Whereas Luxor to the South was Ipet-Ray, Karnak was ancient Ipet-Isut, the most select of places. Theban kings and the god Amon came to prominence at the beginning of the Middle Kingdom. From that time, the temples of Karnak were built, enlarged, torn down, added to, and restored over more than 2000 years until Roman times.

 

The Sound and Light Show
This spellbinding show , through the exquisite use of words , light and music , tells the story of these magnificent Karnak temples . The program is presented in Arabic , English , French , German , Spanish , Italian and Japanese .

 

Day Trips
Esna boasts the temple of Khnum , the ram - headed creator god . Nearby is an early Christian Monastery , Deir Manayus Wal-Shuhada , built in the 4th century AD. The monastery of three thousand six hundred martyrs comprises two churches , the walls of one are covered with vibrant 10 th century murals . At Dendera you can visit the Temple of Hathor , dedicated to the cow - headed goddess of healing . This Graeco - Roman temple is famous for its astronomical ceiling , painted with symbols of the heavenly bodies . Abydos was the main seat of the cult of Osiris , the god of the underworld . The Temple of Seti I with its painted reliefs is the best preserved among the ruins of Abydos , while the Temple of Ramses II is partially preserved.

 

WEST BANK
The Clossi of Memnon
These two statues of Amenophis III measuring 18 meters once marked the entrance to the largest temple in Thebes It covered 385,000 square meters (4,200,000 square feet), and it was even larger than the temple of Amon-Re at Karnak...Due to an earthquake in 27 BC, these statues were damaged and became known for a bell like tone that usually occurred in the morning . They were associated by the early Greek travelers with the figure of Memnon, the son of Aurora whose mother, Eos, was the goddess of dawn. MedinetHabu This complex was built by Ramses II in the form of a fortified town which includes a temple, a place, and several chapels. Scenes depicted on the walls commemorate his victories over the Libyans, the Sarinians, the Cretans and others. They also include unique reliefs of a sea battle.Later Kings including Hatshepsut and Thutmose II added chapels to the complex, and ptolemaic Kings renovated it.

The Ramesseum
This is the warrior King Ramses II’s mortuary temple at western Thebes that has inspired Shelley’s sonnet “Ozymandias ”. Its murals record the renowned Battle of Kadesh against Hihites. Its hallmark is apillard hall with giant statues of Ramses II in Osirid form, wrapped in a shoud and holding sceptres.

Queen Hatshepsut’s Temple
EL-Deir-Elbahary
Hatshepsut , the only woman to rule over Egypt as pharaoh , named her temple “ Djeser-Djeseru ” the splendor of splendors . The mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut is one of the most dramatically situated in the world. The queen's architect, Senenmut, designed it and set it at the head of a valley overshadowed by the Peak of Thebes. A tree lined avenue of sphinxes led up to the temple, and ramps led from terrace to terrace. On the lowest terrace are reliefs depicting the transport of obelisks by barge to Karnak and the miraculous birth of Queen Hatshepsut. Reliefs on the South side of the middle terrace show the queen's expedition by way of the Red Sea to Punt, the land of incense. Along the front of the upper terrace, a line of large, gently smiling Osirid statues of the queen looked out over the valley.

VALLEY OF THE KINGS King
Tut Ankh Amon 's Tomb
The Kings of the 18th, 19th, and 20th, dynasties carved their towards into the limstone mountains here and decorated them with designs showing the deceased Kings with the gods in the afterworld and texts from the book of the dead, and the book of the underworld.

Because it was the only one that was found intact there for escaped King Tut Ankh Amon, the most famous tomb in the valley of the kings , circa 1352 BC. In 1922 , Howard Carter’s discovery of king Tut’s fabulous treasures caused a worldwide sensation Other interesting and well-preserved tombs are those of seti I, Ramses III, and Ramses II.

VALLEY OF THE QUEEN
Queen Nefertari’s Tomb
The tombs of Nefertari wife of Ramses II is the most renowned at the Valley of the Queens . It boasts restored vivid murals and inscriptions .