History Of Luxor

Introduction of Luxor’s History

During the predynastic period, there were many villages along the Nile Valley and the Nile Delta, here and there, which had a considerable number of inhabitants and a stable life with sustainable sources of living. 

Luxor, or Thebes, which we view today was in fact established during the reign of the 4th dynasty in the middle of the 25th century BC. At this point in time, Luxor was nothing but a number of mud-brick huts and small houses.

This is besides an ancient primitive burial place where the local governors and the nobles of the region were buried. The city remained as the capital of Upper Egypt from 3000 to 2100 BC

The real glorious period of the history of Luxor began during the ruling period of the 11th dynasty when Amenhotep I made the city the capital of unified Egypt after the First Intermediate Period.

It was the ruling period of the New Kingdom when Luxor really became the most important city in Egypt. It was the period between 1500 and 1000 BC when most of the Egyptian kings resided in the city.

When Thebes became the centre of the worship of the god Amun, the king of gods, all rulers of ancient Egypt started adding their marks in the temples of the city.

With the establishment of the Karnak complex of temples at the beginning of the 11th century, all the kings preferred to add more and more amazing sections to the temple.

This is beside the fact that almost all kings and queens of the New Kingdom were buried in the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens in the West Bank of Luxor. Some of the Pharaohs have also constructed their own mortuary temples in the West Bank like the Mortuary temples of Ramses II and Queen Hatshepsut. 

With the building of the Luxor Temple, connected to the Karnak Temple with an avenue of sphinxes, by Amenhotep III at the end of the 14th century BC, Luxor became more and more significant for the lives of the Egyptians; common and noble especially after carrying out the rituals of the Opt Festival when the God Amun marries Mut, his queen goddess in a wonderful ceremony organized by the highest priests of Amun.

From this period and until today, Luxor has become a magnificent destination in Egypt enjoyed by the tourists and the Egyptians. People from all over the world come to visit Luxor to enjoy viewing the greatness of the Pharaohs embodied in their massive breathtaking buildings and to enjoy the wonderful weather of the city of the shining sun. 

Updated on 1 Dec 2018