HE BEAUTIFUL AND HISTORIC CITY OF LUXOR – MOST PRECIOUS JEWEL IN THE ANCIENT EGYPTIAN CROWN

HE BEAUTIFUL AND HISTORIC CITY OF LUXOR – MOST PRECIOUS JEWEL IN THE ANCIENT EGYPTIAN CROWN

A BRIEF HISTORY

Today Luxor is a city with a population of around half a million people and it attracts thousands of international visitors every year who come to marvel at the ancient wonders the "world's greatest open air museum" has to offer on both its East and West Bank.

But before we embark upon a tour of the 'modern day' Luxor, let's just spend a few moments to transport ourselves back through the 'mists of time' to when the city was at its most important as the very centre of the ancient Egyptian civilization.

If you imagine this great nation of Egypt as a 'human body' then the ancient city of THEBES, as Luxor was known at that time, was the 'strongly beating heart' at the centre of country, keeping the 'circulation of life' coursing through the 'veins of the land' from 'the head' in the North (Alexandria and Cairo) to 'the feet' in the South (Aswan).
The city of Thebes was the great capital of Egypt during the New Kingdom and was the 'glorious city of the God Amon-Ra. The city was also regarded in Ancient Egyptian texts as WST (Waset) which meant "the foremost" or "the city of the sceptre" and T-IPT (ta ipet) and means "the shrine". The name Thebes was first given to the city by the Greeks who called it Thebai and then the Romans after them who pronounced it Thebae. Thebes was often called "the city of the 100 gates" and sometimes called "the southern city of the sun" ('Iunu-shemaa' in Ancient Egyptian), to distinguish it from the city of Iunu or Heliopolis, the main place of worship for the God Ra in the north.

The importance of the city started as early as the 11th Dynasty, when the town grew into a thriving city, not only renowned for its high social status and luxury but also as a centre for wisdom, art, religious and political supremacy.
Montuhotep II who united Egypt after the troubles of the first intermediate period brought stability to the lands as the city grew in stature and the Pharaohs of the New Kingdom, through their expeditions in Kush (Sudan), Canaan, Phoenicia and Syria saw the city accumulate great wealth and rise in prominence in the world at that time. By the time of the 18th Dynasty Thebes had become the major political, religious and military capital of Ancient Egypt. The city became a truly 'multi-racial' society as people from Babylon, Canaan, Anatolia (Turkey) Phoenicia and Crete all settled in Thebes.
The political and military importance of the city faded during the Late period when Thebes was replaced as political capital by several cities in Northern Egypt, however, as the city of the God Amon-Ra, 
 Thebes remained the religious capital of Egypt until the Greek period.
The main God of the city was Amon, who was worshipped together with his wife, the Goddess Mut, and their son, Khonsu, the God of the moon. With the rise of Thebes as the foremost city of Egypt, the local God Amon also rose in importance and became linked to the sun God Ra, thus creating the new "King of Gods" Amon-Ra. His great temple at Karnak was the most important temple of Egypt right up until the end of antiquity.

Later, after the city was attacked by the Assyrian emperor Assurbanipal who installed the Libyan prince on the throne, the city fell into ruins and insignificance. However, Alexander the Great arrived at the temple of Amun, where the statue of the God was transferred from Karnak during the Opet Festival, the great religious feast, and the grandeur of Thebes remained a site of spirituality and attracted numerous Christian monks throughout the Roman Empire who established monasteries amidst several ancient monuments including the Temple of Hatshepsut, now called Deir el-Bahri, which means "the northern monastery".

So, as you can see Luxor has an interesting and varied past and the ancient city now lives comfortably amidst the busy day to day life of its present day inhabitants.
Take a little time to reflect on the changes this glorious ancient city has seen over the centuries and be thankful that the 'past' is still here for you to see and experience. 


Theresa Clarke