Hurghada Travel Guide : Luxor Valley of the Kings Full-Day Trip

Luxor Full-Day Trip From Hurghada

Visit the monuments of Luxor from Hurghada on a day's excursion. Take the chance to visit the capital of the Pharaohs and its impressive architectural legacy: the Karnak Temple, Valley of the Kings, Colossi of Memnon, and Temple of Hatshepsut.

Luxor Tours, Luxor Excursions, Hotels in Luxor, Nile Cruise Luxor Aswan, Things to do in Luxor and much from Journey to Egypt. Our Luxor Tours will take you to Valley of the Kings and Karnak Temples or even to Cairo For visitors with very limited time at their disposal, who cannot therefore follow the detailed rates in and around Luxor, the list of Luxor Tours below gives several short itineraries. These Luxor tours cover most of the most important monuments; each takes a couple of hours or, at most, a full day.

The Luxor Temple Complex

Luxor Temple, Ipet-resyt “Southern Sanctuary” to the ancient Egyptians, was so called because of its location within ancient Thebes (modern Luxor). It is located around three kilometers to the south of Karnak Temple, to which it was once linked with a processional way bordered with sphinxes. The oldest evidence for this temple dates to the Eighteenth Dynasty (c.1550–1295 BC).

Ipet-resyt, unlike most other ancient Egyptian temples, is not laid out on an east-west axis, but is oriented towards Karnak. This is because Luxor Temple was the main venue for one the most important of ancient Egyptian religious celebrations, when the cult images of Amun, his wife Mut, and their son, the lunar god Khonsu, were taken from their temples in Karnak, and transported in a grand procession to Luxor Temple so they could visit the god that resides there, Amenemopet. This was the Opet Festival.

Luxor Temple was not built by one single ruler. The oldest existing structure, a shrine, dates to the reign of Hatshepsut (c.1473–1458 BC). The core of the temple was built by Amenhotep III (c.1390–1352 BC). One of the inner rooms contains a series of scenes that are known as the Divine Birth. They tell the amazing story of how the king’s true father was none other than the god Amun-Ra himself, disguised as Thutmose IV (c.1400–1390 BC). The core of the temple is preceded by a columned hall fronted by a courtyard with columns around its perimeter. Amenhotep III also built the Great Colonnade, which consists of two rows of seven colossal columns. Its decoration, most notably the scenes depicting the Opet Festival, were completed by Tutankhamun (c.1336–1327 BC) and Horemheb (c.1323–1295 BC).

Ramesses II (c.1279–1213 BC) made many additions to Luxor Temple. In front of the Great Colonnade, he built a peristyle courtyard and a massive pylon, a gate with two towers that formed the entrance into temples. In addition to many colossal statues, the pylon was also fronted by a pair of 25-meter-high obelisks made by this great king, but only one remains in place; the other has been at the Place de la Concorde in Paris since 1836.

In the late third century AD, the Romans built a fort around the temple, and the first room beyond the hypostyle hall of Amenhotep III became its sanctuary. The original wall reliefs were covered with plaster, and painted in the Graeco-Roman artistic style, depicting Emperor Diocletian (284–305 AD) and his three coregents. Although these had largely disappeared, efforts are under way to restore these reliefs to their former glory.

The Karnak Temple Complex

Karnak Temple and the Holy Lake - Luxor

Temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Karnak Deir al-Bahari

The celebrated temple of Hatshepsut (c.1473–1458 BC), the queen who became pharaoh, is located here, in Deir al-Bahari, on the west bank of Luxor. Composed of three man-made terraces that gradually rise up toward the sheer cliff face, this structure is truly a sight to behold.

The site of Deir al-Bahari was sacred to Hathor, the goddess who nursed and reared every king, including their mythological ancestor, the god Horus, in Egypt’s primordial past. A manifestation of this goddess was believed to reside in the very hills under whose shadow lies the temple of Hatshepsut, and just on the other side of which is the site of the tombs of some of ancient Egypt’s most famous rulers, the Valley of the Kings.

Stelae bearing prayers to Hathor depict her, in cow form, emerging from these mountains. This impressive geological formation features a summit that is naturally pyramid-shaped.

This was the reason why king Nebhepetre Mentuhotep (c.2055–2004 BC) chose this hallowed location as the site of his tomb and mortuary temple, 600 years before Hatshepsut set foot here. Royal mortuary temples complemented tombs, and the cults of deceased kings were maintained in these structures for the continued survival of their souls in the hereafter. The most prominent feature of Mentuhotep’s temple-tomb was a monumental structure, believed by some to have been a mastaba, which rose from the center of the main terrace.

The temple of Hatshepsut, the ‘Holy of Holies’, served as a mortuary temple for the female pharaoh and her revered father, Thutmose I. Sunset was regarded as the daily death of the sun god before his glorious rebirth in the east.

Given its funerary nature, Hatshepsut’s mortuary temple was built on the west bank of the Nile, directly across the river from the main temple of Amun in Karnak.

The statues of this god, his wife Mut, and their son Khonsu left their temples every year during the Opet festival (Beautiful Feast of the Valley), and crossed the Nile to visit the royal mortuary temples, including Hatshepsut’s, which appears to have been one of their most important stops.

Temple of Queen Hatshepsut

Hatshepsut (c.1473–1458 BC), the queen who became pharaoh, built a magnificent temple at Deir al-Bahari, on the west back of Luxor. It lies directly across the Nile from Karnak Temple, the main sanctuary of the god Amun. Hatshepsut’s temple, Djeser-djeseru “the Holy of Holies” was designed by the chief steward of Amun, Senenmut.

The temple consists of three levels each of which has a colonnade at its far end. On the uppermost level, an open courtyard lies just beyond the portico. Mummiform statues of Hatshepsut as Osiris, the god of the dead, lean against its pillars.

This is because Djeser-djeseru is Hatshepsut’s mortuary temple, where her cult was practiced after her death, when she attained the blessed state of Osiris. Far from being devoted solely to her, the temple also includes sections for the cults of her revered father Thutmose I, the goddess Hathor, and the funerary god Anubis. An altar, open to the sky and the sun, was dedicated to the cult of the solar Ra-Horakhty. Pride of place was given to Amun. At the far end of the upper courtyard, on the temple’s central axis, a passage cut directly into the living rock culminates in his sanctuary.

The temple’s walls are covered with beautiful painted reliefs depicting temple rituals, religious festivals, and even the transportation of obelisks from the quarry to their destination in Karnak Temple. Perhaps most interesting are the reliefs in the portico on the so-called Middle Platform. The decorative programme on the left side depicts Hatshepsut’s expedition to Punt, believed to be located near modern Eritrea. The inhabitants of this land, their dwellings, and surrounding environment are vividly recorded, as are the riches and exotic animals that the Egyptians brought back with them. On the other side of the portico, Hatshepsut relates how she is the rightful king of Egypt. She does this not only by claiming that her father Thutmose I had designated her as his heir, but by stating that her true father was none other than the god Amun himself.

Valley of the Kings

Tomb of Tutankhamun

The tomb of the Eighteenth Dynasty king Tutankhamun (c.1336–1327 BC) is world-famous because it is the only royal tomb from the Valley of the Kings that was discovered relatively intact.

Its discovery in 1922 by Howard Carter made headlines worldwide, and continued to do so as the golden artifacts and other luxurious objects discovered in this tomb were being brought out. The tomb and its treasures are iconic of Egypt, and the discovery of the tomb is still considered one of the most important archaeological discoveries to date.

Despite the riches it contained, the tomb of Tutankhamun, number 62 in the Valley of the Kings, is in fact quite modest compared to the other tombs on this site, in both size and decoration.

This is most likely due to Tutankhamun having come to the throne very young, and even then ruling for only around nine years in total. One can wonder at what riches the much larger tombs of the most powerful kings of the New Kingdom, such as Hatshepsut, Thutmose III, Amenhotep III, and Ramesses II once contained.

Only the walls of the burial chamber bear any decoration. Unlike most previous and later royal tombs, which are richly decorated with funerary texts like the Amduat or Book of Gates, which helped the deceased king reach the afterlife, only a single scene from the Amduat is represented in the tomb of Tutankhamun. The rest of the decoration of the tomb depicts either the funeral, or Tutankhamun in the company of various deities.

This small size of the tomb of Tutankhamun (KV62) has led to much speculation. When his successor, the high official Ay, died, he was buried in a tomb (KV23), which may have been originally intended for Tutankhamun, but which had not yet been completed at the time of the death of the young king.

The same argument has been made in turn for the tomb of Ay’s successor, Horemheb (KV57). If so, it is unclear for whom the eventual tomb of Tutankhamun, KV62, was carved, but it has been argued that it existed already, either as a private tomb or as a storage area, that was subsequently enlarged to receive the king.

Whatever the reason, the small size of the tomb meant that the approximately 5000 artefacts that were discovered inside were stacked very tightly. These reflect the lifestyle of the royal palace, and included objects that Tutankhamun would have used in his daily life, such as clothes, jewelry, cosmetics, incense, furniture, chairs, toys, vessels made of a variety of materials, chariots, and weapons.

It is one of history’s great ironies that Tutankhamun, a relatively minor king who was erased from history because he was related to the unpopular King Akhenaten, has come to surpass many of Egypt’s greatest rulers in fame.

Tomb of Sety I

The Tomb of Sety I is one of the longest, deepest, and most beautifully decorated tombs in the Valley of the Kings. Sety I (c.1294–1279 BC) was the second king of the Nineteenth Dynasty, and father of Ramesses II (the Great). His tomb, number 17 in the Valley of the Kings, is sometimes called “Belzoni’s tomb” after its discoverer.

Like the other tombs in the Valley of the Kings, the tomb of Sety I is decorated with various funerary texts, the aim of which was to ensure his successful transition to the afterlife. The tomb of Sety I was the first tomb in the Valley of the Kings to be entirely decorated. The elegant painted scenes and reliefs are of the exquisite quality that the reign of Sety I is so well known for. The funerary texts attested there are the Litany of Re, Amduat, and Book of Gates, in addition to the Book of the Divine Cow and the gorgeous astronomical scenes decorating the ceiling of his burial chamber, simulating the night sky.

Tomb of Sety I luxor day tour from hurghada

Architecturally, the tomb of Sety I falls under the “joggled axis” type characteristic of his period. The first series of corridors and descending passageways terminate into the first pillared room, where, in the facing wall, but off-axis, another series of descending passageways cut into the floor of the room lead to the burial chamber. The tomb does feature a number of new and unique characteristics.

Along the same axis of the first series of corridors and descending passageways, a doorway leads into a single room. This may have been intended to lead intruders to believe that this was the actual burial chamber. The tomb of Sety I is also the first tomb to possess a burial chamber with a vaulted ceiling. Perhaps most interesting of all is that the passage begins on the floor of the burial chamber, descending even further, deep into the earth. It is believed that this was intended to ritually connect the tomb of Sety I with the primeval and regenerative powers of the underworld.

In 1821, painted recreations of several rooms from the tomb of Sety I were displayed in the Egyptian Hall in Piccadilly in London. This exhibition, put together by the discoverer of the tomb, Giovanni Battista Belzoni, made an ancient Egyptian tomb available to various members of the public. It captured people’s imagination, and is one of the first monuments responsible for attracting popular attention to ancient Egypt.

Tomb of Ramesses VI

Ramesses VI tomb was originally built by King Ramesses V (c.1147–1143 BC) of the Twentieth Dynasty. Although it is uncertain whether he was ultimately buried in it, his uncle Ramesses VI (c.1143–1136 BC) enlarged the tomb and used it for his burial.

The huts of the workmen who built this tomb were built directly on top of the ground that concealed the staircase that led into the tomb of Tutankhamun. In other words, it is this tomb that led to the discovery of Tutankhamun’s in 1922 with all of its world-famous treasures inside it.

Ramesses VI tomb’s decorated walls consists of various funerary texts to help the king in his successful transition to the afterlife, including the Book of Gates, Book of Caverns, the Amduat, and the Book of the Dead. All ceilings are decorated with astronomical scenes and texts. The ceiling of the burial chamber is decorated with a striking scene that depicts the sky goddess Nut arched over the earth. The sun disk is depicted in front of her mouth, which she is about to swallow.

This is a mythological representation of sunset. Twelve sun disks can then be seen inside the extended length of Nut’s body, representing the sun god’s daily twelve-hour journey through the underworld at night, before his rebirth in the east, young, renewed, and full of life. Through this text, just like the sun god, the king could achieve a glorious rebirth in the eastern horizon at dawn.

Statues of the Colossi of Memnon

Step back in time and immerse yourself in the captivating world of ancient Egypt as we unravel the enigmatic tales behind the Colossi of Memnon. These colossal statues, standing proudly on the West Bank of the Nile in Luxor, have long been shrouded in mystery, captivating historians, archaeologists, and curious travelers alike. The sheer size and grandeur of the statues is enough to leave anyone in awe, but it is their stories that truly bring them to life. Join us on a journey through time as we delve into the legends, myths, and historical significance surrounding these remarkable statues. From the haunting sounds emitted by the statues at dawn, to the fascinating history of their construction, we will uncover the secrets that have made the Colossi of Memnon an enduring symbol of ancient Egypt's majesty. So, grab your virtual explorer's hat and get ready to embark on a thrilling adventure as we unravel the mysteries of these iconic statues.

The Colossi of Memnon (Arabic: el-Colossat or es-Salamat) are two massive stone statues of the Pharaoh Amenhotep III, which stand at the front of the ruined Mortuary Temple of Amenhotep III, the largest temple in the Theban Necropolis. They have stood since 1350 BC, and were well known to ancient Greeks and Romans, as well as early modern travelers and Egyptologists.

The statues contain 107 Roman-era inscriptions in Greek and Latin, dated to between AD 20 and 250; many of these inscriptions on the northernmost statue make reference to the Greek mythological king Memnon, whom the statue was then – erroneously – thought to represent.

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 (actually ESE in modern bearings) towards the river. Two shorter figures are carved into the front throne alongside his legs: these are his wife Tiye and mother Mutemwiya. The side panels depict the Nile god Hapi.

The statues are made from blocks of quartzite sandstone which was quarried at el-Gabal el-Ahmar (near modern-day Cairo) and transported 675 km (420 mi) overland to Thebes (Luxor). The stones are believed to be too heavy to have been transported upstream on the Nile.

The blocks used by later Roman engineers to reconstruct the northern colossus may have come from Edfu (north of Aswan). Including the stone platforms on which they stand – themselves about 4 m (13 ft) – the colossi reach 18 m (60 ft) in height and weigh an estimated 720 tons each. The two figures are about 15 m (50 ft) apart.

Both statues are quite damaged, with the features above the waist virtually unrecognizable. The southern statue comprises a single piece of stone, but the northern figure has a large extensive crack in the lower half and above the waist consists of 5 tiers of stone. These upper levels consist of a different type of sandstone, and are the result of a later reconstruction attempt, which William de Wiveleslie Abney attributed to Septimius Severus.[8] It is believed that originally the two statues were identical to each other, although inscriptions and minor art may have varied.

Experience Luxor with a hot air ballon ride

See the sunrise over Luxor's West bank on an early morning hot air balloon flight. Soar above the Nile and see ancient landmarks like the Colossi of Memnon, Valley of the Kings & Hatshepsut Temple.