The oldest city of Luxor (Egypt)

Just 600 kilometers from Cairo is the oldest city in Egypt, the city of the living and the dead, called Luxor. Until modern times, the city was called the Great Thebes, and the prefix "great" is not at all random, it was the place of life and reign of the greatest pharaohs of the era.

History of the city in the past

As early as the 21st century BC. Luxor became the capital of Egypt. It was immediately on the two banks of the Nile, but the mouth of this river was not only a source of water, but also played a sacramental role in the lives of native inhabitants. The Nile before our era was called Styx and divided the city into two parts: the World of the Living and the World of the Dead. On one side of the river blossomed and shone palaces, temples, architectural monuments, marble paths, reigned and boiled life, ruled pharaohs called kings, on the other side of the Nile life stopped forever and froze in anticipation - the World of the Dead was and is to this day in Tombs and pyramids.

Luxor, Egypt - the city of the living

This beautiful city has an interesting history. In the era when Luxor Egypt made its capital, the country experienced a flourishing of architectural culture. The names of the ruling pharaohs of that period are imprinted on their tombs and monuments, among them Ramses, Seth, Tetmos, Tutankhamun, Amenophis, etc. Worshiping the god Amon, they built huge tombs for themselves and their wives and after death took with them all the most valuable: Weapons, jewelry made of gold, silver, precious stones and copper, clothing and even letters.

The world of the living in Luxor prospered, the temples rose to the sky among the laurel leaves, the alleys of the sphinxes greeted the guests of the temples with their stony looks, the artificial oases of greenery in the very center of the desert gave freshness, the smell of flowering orchids, emerald light. Luxury palaces made the simple travelers, who saw them for the first time, tremble. These were huge structures, where thousands of people could fit together, their windows were covered with textile capes from the world's first batiste, which appeared in Egypt. If foreigners heard the name of the country Egypt - Luxor surfaced before them, dotted with palaces and temples, monuments and large markets. It was a mighty city.

If you visit Luxor - Egypt of the world of living - your eyes will see the oldest and largest preserved temple in the country - the Luxor Temple. For 2100 years it stood up to our era, and almost the same number is already in ours, it is twice as old as our calendar, but its majestic columns stand, without flinching, stone cats look at the visitors with mysterious glances, as if they know that everyone is not Will, and they will stand there, guarding the peace of Amun. No less majestic temple was erected in Karnak, the sun-god Amonu-Ra. The grandeur and monumentality of the structure still makes architects think, as in times when mechanized labor was completely absent, stone blocks weighing 2 tons rose to a height of 20-30 meters.

From the world of the living to the world of the dead

Having finished his reign in the living world, every Pharaoh left the right side of the Nile, got to Luxor - Egypt of the world of the dead. On the left bank of the river are the valley of the Tsaritsa and the Valley of the Kings, where there are more than 40 tombs, where Tutmes 1, Tutmes 2, Tutmes 3, Tutankhamun, Hatshepsut, Madinet Abu and others rested. Many tombs are deep in the rocks, only the length of the walk is 70 meters. Such temples, in which the kings of Egypt went to eternity after death, were created for dozens of years, decorated and turned into real sanctuaries. In order that none of his contemporaries would encroach on the riches of the dead pharaohs, their tombs were protected by the curse of the gods, and anyone who touched the gold of the kings of the past should have faced the most terrible punishment.

The world and the riches of the past beckon us today. In 1979, in order to protect the monumental structures and museums of Luxor, the city was named by UNESCO a world heritage. Visit the living "open-air museum" - Luxor. Egypt will not open in all its glory before those who have not seen this city. Every year there are hundreds of thousands of tourists. For the majority of travelers visiting Egypt, Luxor (photo in the Internet is a confirmation) is one of the main attractions.