On one of Osiris’ best Egypt tours, a visit to Luxor is a must, the very name itself enough to light the fire of your adventurous spirit. There are two sides to every city, and with its east and west banks split by the meandering Nile River, Luxor is the same.
The East Bank is home to magnificent temples and grand avenues, but it’s the fabled West Bank of The Nile in Luxor that is our focus here.
The Legendary West Bank
Home to the world famous valley of the kings and valley of the queens, a visit to Luxor’s West Bank on one of our Luxor day tours and Egypt guided tours to literally step back in time and follow in the footsteps of perhaps Egypt’s most famous explorer and archaeologist, Howard Carter.
Operating in the early twentieth century, much of what the world knows about ancient Egypt is down to the skill and persistence of Carter and his rich benefactor, Lord Carnarvon.
In The Valley of The Boy King
Englishman Carter is synonymous with Egyptian exploration and gained fame for unearthing many of the country’s ancient secrets, most notably the sealed burial chamber of the Boy King, Tutankhamun. Ancient Egyptians considered pharaohs to be gods and posthumously preserved their bodies before burying them in ornate tombs along with vast amounts of treasures to accompany them into the afterlife.
Considered one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the twentieth century, King Tut’s tomb was also the wealthiest, adorned with vast treasures and artifacts, the most famous of which was the boy king’s golden funerary mask, on display today in Cairo’s Museum of Egyptian Antiquities.
Other notable mortuary temples to visit in the area on one of our best-selling Egypt tour packages and Egypt private tours include those of pharaohs Amenhotep, Ramses, and Seti.
Queens of the Valley
Of all of the more than seventy tombs in The Valley of The Queens, the tomb of Nefertari is regarded the finest, and not just in the Theban necropolis, but in all of Egypt. Known as The House of Eternity, the magnificent tomb of Nefertari was exquisitely decorated, but due to the effects of tomb robbers and natural elements, the beauty of the tomb was lost until its completed renovation in 1992.
Other notable tombs in The Valley of The Queens are those of Queen Isis and Queen Tyti, as well as the Princess Ahmose.
The King of All Queens: Queen Hatshepsut
Known as Djeser-Djeseru, or ‘Splendor of Splendors’, Queen Hatshesput’s mortuary temple is one of the most remarkable in Egypt, with its terraced courtyards and iconic colonnaded halls that sweep the full width of the magnificent tomb complex.
Hatshesput was a powerful yet female pharaoh, and the beauty of her mortuary temple pays tribute to that power. With multiple examples of carved reliefs and fine sculpture still visible to tourists, this is one of the highlights of any luxury tour to Egypt.
