Luxor is 3/4 of the way from Cairo to Aswan.
Luxor is a city in Upper southern Egypt. As the site of the ancient Egyptian city of Thebes, Luxor has frequently been characterized as the "world's greatest open air museum", as the ruins of the temple complexes at Karnak and Luxor stand within the modern city. Immediately opposite, across the River Nile, lie the monuments, temples and tombs on the West Bank Necropolis, which include the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens. Thousands of international tourists arrive annually to visit these monuments, contributing a large part towards the economy for the modern city.
Our ship docked there and it was a sight to see that we were facing the Luxor temple itself !!
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The city has sights on both banks.
East bank
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West bank
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Known to locals as el-Colossat, or es-Salamat, these are two massive stone statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III. For the past 3,400 years (since 1350 BC) they have stood in the Theban necropolis, across the River Nile from the modern city of Luxor.
The twin statues depict Amenhotep III (fl. 14th century BC) in a seated position, his hands resting on his knees and his gaze facing eastwards towards the river. Two shorter figures are carved into the front throne alongside his legs: these are his wife Tiy and mother Mutemwiya. The side panels depict the Nile god Hapy.The statues are made from blocks of quartzite sandstone which was stone quarried at el-Gabal el-Ahmar, modern-day Cairo and transported 675 km (420 miles) overland to Thebes. They are too heavy to have been transported upstream on the Nile. Including the stone platforms on which they stand (about 4 metres (13 ft) themselves), the colossi reach a towering 18 metres (approx. 60 ft) in height and weigh an estimated 700 tons each The two figures are about 15 metres (50 ft) apart. The original function of the Colossi was to stand guard at the entrance to Amenhotep's memorial temple (or mortuary temple): a massive cult centre built during the pharaoh's lifetime, where he was worshipped as a god-on-earth both before and after his departure from this world
Most tourists come in early morning and leave the same evening. A few stay overnight. It’s not possible to see everything in one day as there are many sights and frankly, you get an overdose of antiquities after a while. Having seen the massive Valley of Kings with its many tombs, the Valley of Queens, Colossi of Memnon and finally the Karnak Temple, it was a surfeit of monuments, an excess of unpronounceable names and the humidity / heat over bearing. We saw the few main monuments and left the others for our next visit, inshallah !
Two 80 foot (25m) pink granite obelisk built by Ramesses once stood before the gateway but today only one remains; the other stands in the Place De La Concorde in Paris. Four sacred baboons are carved on the pedestal and the names of Ramesses appear on each side of the obelisks.
The granite used to make obelisks was quarried in southern Egypt near the ancient city of Swenett (the modern town of Aswan). In ancient times Swentet was famous for its stone quarries, especially the red, grey and black granite which was used to make the colossal statues and monolithic shrines found throughout Egypt.
The obelisks known as Cleopatra’s Needles which now stand in London, Paris and New York came from Swenett. (the London and New York obelisks belong to Thutmose III).
“These ancient quarries are still visible in the rock today and are about four miles (6.4 km) in length. The quarrymen’s tools have been found together with numerous inscriptions describing various projects and how the work was performed. There is also an unfinished obelisk still partly embedded in the rock, which would have been the largest obelisk of all time had it been successfully erected. It is 137 feet (42 m) in length and estimated to weigh nearly 1,200 tons (about 1,200,000 kilograms). It cracked in several places and was never detached from the rock, providing an insight into the methods employed in making it. The marks from worker’s tools are still visible as well as the ochre coloured marker lines”.
As you enter the Temple, you don’t realise the vastness or length of the premises. On your right is the Avenue of the Sphinx - human headed sphinxes placed over three kms once connected the temples of Karnak and Luxor. This road was used once a year during the Opet festival when the Egyptians paraded along it carrying the statues of Amun and Mut in a symbolic re-enactment of their marriage. At Luxor temple Amun was magically transformed into Min the god of fertility.
Around 1,350 sphinx statues are thought to have lined this road together with barque chapels stocked with offerings. Queen Hatshepsut (1479-1425 BC) built six of these chapels. Each of which had a precise function such as to cool the oar of Amun or to receive the beauty of Amun. The construction of the Avenue of Sphinxes was begun during the New Kingdom and finished during 30th Dynasty rule of Nectanebo I (380-362 BC).
Just imagine what it must have been like – the Govt today is in the process of re-creating this Avenue as it has realized the full force of its historical tourism potential. 
I decided that I would post the data from the venue itself as it’s interesting to read this history, its well written and informative. There was no need to type out again the same text.
Luxor was the city of the god Amon-Ra.
"The city was in the Ancient Egyptian texts as w3s.t (approximate pronunciation: "Waset"), which meant "city of the sceptre" and also as t3 ip3t (probably pronounced as "ta ipet" and meaning "the shrine"). The Greeks called it Thebai and the Romans Thebae. Thebes was also known as "the city of the 100 gates", sometimes being called "southern Heliopolis" ('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. It was also often referred to as niw.t, which simply means "city", and was one of only three cities in Egypt for which this noun was used (the other two were Memphis and Heliopolis); it was also called niw.t rst, "southern city", as the southernmost of them. Interesting how cities were called with letters and numerals.
How would Mumbai or London be written in those times?
"The city was in the Ancient Egyptian texts as w3s.t (approximate pronunciation: "Waset"), which meant "city of the sceptre" and also as t3 ip3t (probably pronounced as "ta ipet" and meaning "the shrine"). The Greeks called it Thebai and the Romans Thebae. Thebes was also known as "the city of the 100 gates", sometimes being called "southern Heliopolis" ('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. It was also often referred to as niw.t, which simply means "city", and was one of only three cities in Egypt for which this noun was used (the other two were Memphis and Heliopolis); it was also called niw.t rst, "southern city", as the southernmost of them. Interesting how cities were called with letters and numerals.
How would Mumbai or London be written in those times?
The city attracted peoples such as the Babylonians, the Mitanni, the Hittites of Anatolia / Turkey, the Canaanites of Ugarit, the Phoenicians of Byblos and Tyre, the Minoans from the island of Crete. A Hittite prince from Anatolia married Ankhesenamun, Tutankhamun’s widow. The political and military importance of the city faded during the Late Period with Thebes being replaced as political capital by several cities in Northern Egypt such as Bubastis, Sais and finally Alexandria.
We had seen Karnak by night in a son et lumière show. Frankly, it was a disappointment as the images projected were unclear and faint. We walked the whole of Karnak precinct in the total darkness stumbling over the uneven path and then climbing up a slope to an open air auditorium to see an unclear show about the city. Luxor Temple complex apparently also has a show but I am glad we went by day. Walking the whole length, looking up at the colossal columns and statues, one wondered about the technology used to create such massive complexes with such mathematical precision.
The mosque of Abu el Haggag is half way through the long corridor. We did not go in but carried on. The photos are a silent echo reminding you that we are just Lilliputians in the Egyptian world overview vs. their Gods and kings. Observe the placement of the columns on the pillars, the huge etchings on the rock walls which have stood the passage of thousands of years. 
The Colonnade Hall of Amenhotep III leads to the Amenhotep III Court and further still to the two sanctuaries. Between the sanctuary and the court, we see two important items:
· A huge visual in colour, despite the damage over the years, of what may be holy men or leading city luminaries. Its way up on the corner but unfortunately, it shows only a part and does not tell us why these figures are there.
· A narrow room with high walls with etchings - Alexander built this wall on an already existing base. It shows how the ancient royals and conquerors valued existing structures. In fact Ramesses II erased the name of Amenhotep III on many of the statutes and replaced them with his name; sharing the responsibility for the magnificence of the temple. Alexander followed suit too.
I think the passage through the Colonnade Hall and the Court were the most impressive part of the whole complex.
Luxor is a laid back quiet city without the madness of Cairo. It’s a city one can enjoy. To our surprise, it’s the place where we had a superb Indian lunch in a restaurant staffed without any Indians. I am sure I shall be back here to see the remaining historical antiquities and visit the new Museum of Egypt in Cairo when it opens next year. .
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