It the biggest place of pilgrimage and covers about 200 acres 1.5km by 0.8km. It is a sacred place of Amon alone which covers 61 acres. The temple of Amon is situated in the heart of Kanrak. There are many several smaller temples and sacred lake. When you enter the Kanark you will find the ram headed Sphinxes which were built to serve as protection to temple. There are 20 rams on each side which extends from the small harbor to the 1st Pylon, and when you cross the 1st pylon you will find a big court about 100m long and 80m wide including rows and columns. It was built by the 22nd Dynasty. This open court has 21m high huge column and that is known as kiosk of Taharga who was ruler during the 25th Dynasty. This column from the left side of colonnade has 10 more sub columns. While on the left side of the main court there are 3 chapels, known as “Triad of Thebes” which was built by King Seti II. On the right side is the Temple of Ramses III, and this temple consists of one more pylon, open court, Hypostyle hall and a Sanctuary.

The 2nd Pylon of the 18th Dynasty built by Horemheb is now damaged badly but it was completed by the founder of the 19th Dynasty completed it. The Great Hypostyle Hall which passes from the 2nd Pylon is 103m in length and 52m in width, and it contains 134 papyrus columns and each of them is 22m in height and 3.5m in diameter respectively. The huge number of columns was constructed by King Seti I and that was 22 columns in 14rows. The laterals are smaller than the ceiling in the centre as it allows light into the spot, and is Processional Avenue of the Triad during the festival of the Opet. All the scenes on this antique Hypostyle Hall shows the King Seti I making offerings to Gods. While if you face on the other southern wall the scenes of Rames II are carved making offerings and worshipping the Gods and Triad and Thebes. After passing from the 3rd Pylon you will find a huge rectangular court which is called the court of Tuthmosis I. In this court of there are 2 obelisks erected and this was the main entrance of the Temple during the time of Tuthmosis I. The weight of single obelisks is 19m high and around 310 tons in weight.

Moving from the court of Tuthmosis you will see the 4th Pylon, which was also built by Tuthmosis I and beyond this court there is a rectangular colonnade which was also built by him. There are another 2 obelisks which were built by the Queen Hatshepsut, in which one of is still standing in its original position and it weight 322 tons and 29.5m in height and made from red granite. Tuthmoses III built a high long wall after the death of Queen Hatshepsut to hide these 2 obelisks.  Tuthomosis I again built the 5th Pylon which is damaged so Tuthmosis III built two small rooms near the 5th Pylon. After reaching the 6th Pylon which was built by Tuthmosis III you will see a room which was known as Ancestral Room and the original Sanctuary was built by him. This Ancestral room was again rebuilt by Philip Arrhidaeus the half brother of Alexander the Great. The Sanctuary was made of granite and was dedicated to Amon Ra. While passing through the Sanctuary you will see a court which takes you to the time of Middle Kingdom. This courtyard is badly damaged now and this was the site of old temple which is the origin of Karnak Temple.

This Karnak Temple is a small complex of Temples with 10 pylons and one of the most sacred attractive destinations of the world. After visiting the holy Amon Ra at Karnak you should not forget to visit the Sacred Lake which is 80m in length and 40m in width. It will take you to the time of Tuthmosis III. There is scarab near the Sacred Lake. This scarab was known as Khebry and it is the symbol of Sun God. The Scarab is one of the biggest Scarabs of ancient Egyptian civilization.

You can also enjoy an incredible sound and light show at Karnak Temple. There are special light and sound shows in different temples in Egypt which are the most excellent happenings for the tourists.

Luxor to Karnak Temple

The finest option to reach the Karnak temple is from the city of Luxor. It is located in the Upper Egypt in the province of Qena. It is the old city of Thebes and was the capital of Ancient Egypt. Early Arab travelers liked this city for its monuments they spread around the city and gave it name as Luxor means “The palaces”. Luxor is one of the most well-liked cities in the Egypt. All the major travel agencies and tourist offices are located in this city.

You can reach Luxor by Air, Train or Bus. Luxor International Airport is located 6km east from the centre of the city. This International Airport has services for domestic airlines also. Many European Countries are directly connected with Luxor. Egypt Air has daily flights from Cairo to Luxor which costs around $250 and approximately 50 minutes to reach, but booking tickets early is advisable.

If you are planning to go by train than Luxor railway station is located in El-Mahata Square. Trains from Luxor to Cairo and Luxor to Aswan as well as from other southern cities are very frequent. The road route to reach Luxor is also easy, but it is very time consuming.

Temperature in Luxor is can reach up to 40-50 c during summer. The weather is fairly hot around the year. Many people prefer to visit Egypt in winter.

Accommodation in Luxor

There are many hotels in Luxor according to the type of budget. The hotels are from 2 stars to 5 stars deluxe. The Winter Palace hotel is the most expensive located in Luxor Temple which is surrounded by shopping area and Egypt Air office.

Places to visit in Luxor

It takes 4 days to visit Luxor properly, it has monuments on both the east and west side of the city.

Places on the East side

• The Museum of Luxor
• Luxor Temple
• The Mummification Museum
• Karnak Temple

Places on the West side

• Valley of the Kings
• Valley of the Queens
• Valley of the Nobles
• The Colossi of Memnon
• Hatshepsut Temple of Deir El-Bahri
• Medinat Habu Temple of Rames III
• The Ramesseum
• Temple of Esna

This temple was first observed by J.L.Burckhardt in the year 1813, while he looked over the mountain and saw this beautiful and unique site. He was about to leave the area via Nile River when he saw this site. These two temples are of Ramesses II and dedicated to Re-Harakhte and to wife, Nefertari and she dedicated to God Hathor. This is the must see site for the tourists. This site requires a trip from the Nile. As the north and south sides of the temple are surrounded by the brick walls which occupies a place between the sandstones, cliffs and the river. It was also cut into the face of the cliff which is a rock cut terrace. It is fixed with the flight of steps which are plane in the middle, which stood a row of hawks and statues of Rames in various forms. There are four seated figures of Ramses. These statues of faces are built at the height of 100 feet and 119 feet wide. There are very eye catchy statues on top of the pylon where baboons are place and spread their hands towards the rising sun. It was said that baboons are helping the sun God Ra to beat the darkness of night which are sacred to worship of rising sun.

There are series of halls and rooms which extends up to 185 feet from the entrance, in the sacred cave, which is located inside the temple. The first hall is 54 feet wide and 58 feet deep which has two rows of osirid and 30 feet statues of Ramses. The north side wears the white crown of Upper Egypt while the south side wears the Double Crown of Lower Egypt. You will see three doors on the west end of the main hall. The side doors leads towards the lateral chambers, the central door faces a room of four square pillars. From this central room there is a doorway and beyond that the statues of Gods Prah, Amun-Ra, Ramses II and Re-Horakhte are located. You can also attend fabulous light show at phile temple, which is scheduled on different days and time.

Reach the temple of Simbel from Aswan

Aswan is the biggest and 3rd largest city of the Upper Egypt, and one of the famous and favorite places of the tourists. Aswan is the major production of aluminum and iron and a stop for cruise boats as most of the Nile cruises pass sail between Aswan and Luxor. Aswan is a very good place for shopping and a huge market of fresh spices. The city came into limelight after the construction of Huge Dam. Aswan mostly consists of Nubians and local tribes of Kenzo. The word Aswan is divided from the ancient Egyptian word Swan, which means the market. It is located on the main trading route between Egypt and southern lands where the trade of gold and ivory was carried at that time. Aswan is also a major source of granite, sandstone and quartzite which were used in construction of monuments around the Egypt. God Khoum was the God of the city in ancient Egypt but later on the Goddess Isis which was treated as Goddess of magic and maternity became the God and people built a temple named Philae for her. Aswan city has a very hot climate throughout the year, as it is located in north towards the tropic of caner. Proper care should be taken like covering the head and frequently drinking of water while visiting Aswan.

Egypt Air is the best option for you if you are planning to fly for Aswan. It has daily flights and takes 70 minutes from Cairo. Aswan airport is the most refined international airport in the Upper Egypt. Aswan airport is located 15km to the south west of the city. If you want to travel by train to Aswan you can reach the Aswan station which is located in the center. The trains run from Cairo or Luxor. These are sleeper trains which reasonable rates.

Lavish Nile cruises are also available for the visitors from Luxor to Aswan. It is the usual cruise and a good option for those who want to enjoy the blue pools, clubs, restaurants, book stores and libraries. A Nile cruise also includes cocktail parties, Nubin shows and belly dancers for the tourists. There are different packages in the Nile Cruise which offer different facilities. You can also enjoy the option of Feluccas a traditional boat which should be taken for several hours to get the original Egyptian Nile experience. Multi day feluccas are also available for the tourists. The cruise business almost closes down in the month of April because of raising water levels of Nile River. Mid October to May is the best time to visit Aswan, when the weather is cool and you will be able to enjoy more sites in this weather. However you can peacefully visit in summer if you are able to beat the heat. Egypt is cheap and affordable, and there is no limit of money for the visitors to bring. Bank receipts are required if you are carrying more than EGP 5000. The present value of Egyptian currency is 6.2 pounds per dollar.  Passport and visa are required for the foreigners expect for some Middle Eastern countries.

Accommodation in Aswan

There are very good hotels in Aswan with highest quality if standards and services. The local people in Aswan city are very helpful and friendly. The Old Cataract Hotel is among the most famous hotels of Aswan and is one of the most expensive hotels today. The famous people and guests from different countries take accommodation in this hotel. The book “Death of the Nile” was written by Agatha Christie while she was in her stay at this hotel.

Places to visit in Aswan

This city is very rich in unique monuments and temples you can visit these sites while your visit to this rich archaeological city.

• The Temple of Edfu
• The Temple of kom Ombo
• Philae Temple
• The Unfinished Obelisk
• The High Dam
• The Tomb Chapels of the Nobles
• The Botanical Island (Eleplantine Island)

There are three terraces in the temple. The lower two terraces were once filled with full of trees. There is a beautiful sigh scene on the southern end of 1st colonnade and the transportation of Hastshepsut’s two obelisks is one of the famous scenes. If we look at the north side of the colonnade Queen offering four calves to the Amon Ra is one the best scene among all the views. Originally there were stairs on the 2nd terrace but now it has been accesses to ramp. The southern side of 2nd colonnade is known as the famous Punt. Punt is known as Somalia at present and it was the first pictorial documentation of a trade expedition recorded.

“Sublime of the Sublimes” or Djeser-Djeseru is the ancient Egyptian language is part of complex of buildings known as Deir el-Bahri and the first temple was build around 500 years earlier during the 11th dynasty while Neb-Hepet-Re Montuhotep is a little structure located on the left side of the temple. The walls of the temple illustrate the stories of Hatshepsut’s fabled trip to the land of Punt. It also illustrates a grotesquely overweight Queen of Punt as she was obese at the time of her death.

The frankincense trees were decorated in the front façade of the temple as there trees were carried by the Queen during her travels to punt it is also said that she brought back five shiploads of goodies including flora and fauna.

The Menuhotep temple was used as a model for Hatshepsut. The Queen employed a lengthy colonnaded terrace that deviated from the central massing of Menuhotep’s model, an anomaly caused by the decentralized location of the burial chamber. The terraces have three layers which reach the height of 97 feet (30 m) in height and are connected by long ramps which was one surrounded by gardens. The layering of these terraces are made from classical Theban form, employing Pylon, courts Hypostyle hall, sun court, chapel and sanctuary.

The statue of Queen Hatshepsut standing is one the most popular attractions in Egypt today. You can find a number of temples and tombs on the west bank of the Nile River across Luxor.

Travel to Luxor in Egypt

It is one of the most popular destinations in Egypt. A trip to this beautiful Egyptian city will be helpful for you to explore the tombs and valley of Kings. You can reach there and arrive at Luxor International Airport it is the main hub for the flights. If you are traveling from Europe the air fare is moderately low as short distance to travel. There are also direct charters available from London, Frankfurt, Rome and Moscow. Egypt Air is the most popular airlines with low fares. Nile Cruises will be the best cruise experience from Luxor to Aswan. The longer tours are available from north Egypt to Dendera. It is the usual cruse which is also known as floating hotel and includes swimming pools, clubs, restaurants, and even book stores. You can also enjoy the delightful night shows in the Nile cruise, cocktail parties, Nubin shows, belly dancers and plays are also very pleasing. Nile Cruises can also arrange the abroad feluccas in the traditional Nile sailboat. Most of them are of several hours. While multi day felucca cruises are also available. The Nile River closes down in April because of water levels.

There is no limit to the currency for the visitors to bring in Egypt, however you must show the bank receipts if you are carrying Egyptian currency and should not exceed to EGP 5000. Passport and Visa are required for foreigners expect from some Middle Eastern countries. Mid October to May is the best time to visit. The prices go up in winter and spring as it is the highest tourist season. Prior reservations in hotels are advisable in this season as hotels and other accommodation goes really expensive in this period of time. Temperature is high from May to October in most southern parts of the country. You can experience a good time and peace visit in summer. It will be easy for you to take photographs without getting disturbed by the strangers. It is called the best southern Egypt destination because of its historical relevance and it was also former capital of Egyptian Middle Kingdom. It has plenty of sightseeing for tourists which includes temples, royal tombs, desserts, rivers and many more.