Day 1 – Luxor Tour from Aswan

You will be picked up by our Sun Egypt Tours driver from your hotel in Aswan, for your drive to Luxor. Your guide will meet you in Luxor to start your journey to,

Valley of the Kings:

The Valley of the Kings is one of the most important landmarks in the development of tomb construction in Egypt. The ancient Egyptians called it (Tamat) or the place of justice and truth. It is one of the main attractions in Luxor

It is a long narrow passage located on the west bank of Luxor, and was part of ancient Thebes. It was the burial site of almost all the pharaohs of the New Kingdom (1550-1080 BC).

The plan of the tombs varies greatly but basically consists of a descending passage interspersed with deep shafts to deter robbers and chambers or vestibules with columns. At the far end of the passage is a burial chamber with a stone sarcophagus in which the royal mummy was placed and storage rooms around which furniture and equipment were placed for the king’s use in the underworld.

In many cases, the walls were covered with carved and painted scenes depicting the dead king in the presence of the gods, especially the gods of the underworld, and with magical pictorial texts similar to those found in funerary papyri, designed to aid him in his daily tour of Egypt through the underworld.

You will visit only three of the open tombs during your Aswan tours, and your guide will recommend the three best tombs to visit.

Hatshepsut Temple:

The Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari is unique among Egyptian temples. It was built on three mastabas to commemorate Hatshepsut’s coronation.

Hatshepsut’s famous expedition to Punt (Somalia) is depicted on the second mastaba.

Hatshepsut was the daughter of Thutmose I, wife of Thutmose II, and mother-in-law of Thutmose III.

She ruled Egypt around 1478 BC for 20-24 years and died of natural causes from diabetes.

The temple is now called Deir el-Bahari, which means (Northern Monastery) in English because the temple was used by Christians for a while.

It is a truly amazing temple, you will admire and enjoy it.

Colossi of Memnon:

You will end or start your tour of the West Bank with a photo stop at the Colossi of Memnon, two imposing statues (18 meters high), from a huge temple built by Amenhotep III.

They are now called Memnon, after Agha Memnon, when the statues made sounds created when the wind blew through the cracks of the statues at dawn.

It is a photo stop.

Lunch Break:

Take a break and enjoy your lunch at one of the local restaurants, and try some delicious Egyptian food.

Karnak Temples:

One day tours in Egypt will help you learn more about the Karnak complex, which is the largest religious complex ever built in the universe so far.

“Karnak” is an Arabic word meaning “fort” or “protected area”. But the complex was known as “Per-Em” or “House of Amun” to the ancient Egyptians, and later the Greeks changed the name to “Ipet-Sut” or “Northern Thrones”.

The complex was dedicated to the god Amun or Em “the Hidden”, who was just a minor, unknown local god. When Luxor became the capital of Egypt, the importance of the god increased. He then became like a national god. He was the creator, protector and lord of the gods. His wife was the goddess Mut. The couple adopted the god “Khonsu”, the moon god.

The construction of the complex began in 2000 BC, and expanded over the course of 1700 years, and is considered unfinished.

You approach the complex from the sidewalk leading to the Avenue of Sphinxes, which takes you to the unfinished “gateway” of the temple.

In the first open courtyard is the chapel of the Nubian king Taharqa. To the right of the open courtyard is a small temple to Ramesses III.

The Great Hypostyle Hall is a magnificent place with its 134 columns.

The obelisks of Thutmose I and Hatshepsut stand like two needles between the structures of the complex.

The sacred lake is amazing, it was used for the purification of the priests.

The complex is very impressive. Don’t miss it.