City guide · الأقصر Luxor · 古称底比斯
Luxor
Thebes, 'City of a Hundred Gates': Karnak and the Valley of the Kings
Luxor is ancient Egypt's Thebes, called the world's largest open-air museum. On the Nile's east bank are the temples of Karnak and Luxor; on the west bank are the Valleys of the Kings and Queens, and at sunrise a hot-air balloon shows you both banks at once.
History
Los orígenes de la ciudad
Luxor was anciently called Waset, known to the Greeks as Thebes and nicknamed the 'City of a Hundred Gates'. In the New Kingdom it was the capital of Upper Egypt and the city of the god Amun; generations of pharaohs enlarged the Karnak temple on the east bank and cut their tombs in the Valley of the Kings on the west bank, resting place of the pharaohs of the 18th to 20th Dynasties. In November 1922 the British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered Tutankhamun's tomb in the Valley of the Kings, the best-preserved royal tomb found to date. Luxor is about 670 km from Cairo and about 220 km from Aswan.
- New KingdomThebes was the capital of Upper Egypt and the city of Amun
- c. 13th century BCRamesses II enlarged the temple
- 1922Carter discovered Tutankhamun's tomb
- 1979Ancient Thebes and its necropolis became a World Heritage Site
Stories
Historias de la ciudad
Historia · Luxor: Karnak and the Valley of the Kings
The last great discovery in the Valley of the Kings
From 1907 Howard Carter excavated at Thebes funded by Lord Carnarvon, who obtained the concession for the Valley of the Kings in 1914. By 1922, after years without results, Carnarvon was deeply dissatisfied. That November Carter found the steps leading to the tomb of Tutankhamun — the best-preserved pharaoh's tomb in the Valley of the Kings, whose gold mask and thousands of grave goods caused a worldwide sensation.
People
Personajes vinculados a Luxor
Before you go
Normas que debe conocer en Luxor
Egypt: drink only at licensed venues
- Drink in licensed restaurants, bars or within resorts
- Drinking in the street or other public places
Drinking outside licensed premises is illegal and can lead to arrest.
Verificado el 19 oct 2026Fuente: GOV.UK: Egypt travel advice
Egypt: no drones without a permit
- Leave your drone at home
- Bringing in or using a drone without Ministry of Defence permission
Up to 7 years in prison, or a fine of EGP 5,000 to 50,000.
Verificado el 19 oct 2026Fuente: GOV.UK: Egypt travel advice
Egypt: ask before photographing people, and don't photograph children
- Ask local people before photographing them
- If in doubt, ask before taking a photo
- Photographing children
- Photographing military installations (including the Suez Canal)
- Taking or sharing photos that could harm the country's image
Tourism ministry rules require written permission to photograph Egyptian citizens, and photographing children is banned; photographing military installations is illegal.
Verificado el 19 oct 2026Fuente: GOV.UK: Egypt travel advice
Egypt: dress modestly and avoid public displays of affection
- Dress conservatively in villages, mosques and markets
- Kissing or hugging in public (holding hands is usually fine)
Behaviour accepted in resorts may be seen as offensive elsewhere.
Verificado el 19 oct 2026Fuente: GOV.UK: Egypt travel advice