This is part of my series on Egypt:
East Bank of Luxor: https://jimmy1photo.wixsite.com/blog/post/east-bank-luxor-egypt
West Bank of Luxor: This page.
Dendera and Abydos - Day Trip from Luxor: https://jimmy1photo.wixsite.com/blog/post/dendera-and-abydos-day-trip
Edfu and Kom Ombo Day Trip - Between Luxor and Aswan: https://jimmy1photo.wixsite.com/blog/post/edfu-and-kom-ombo-day-trip
Philae and Abu Simbel - Aswan: https://jimmy1photo.wixsite.com/blog/post/philae-and-abu-simbel
Egyptian Pyramids: https://jimmy1photo.wixsite.com/blog/post/egyptian-pyramids
Tips for Visiting Egypt: https://jimmy1photo.wixsite.com/blog/post/tips-for-visiting-egypt
With Nile River being the lifeline, ancient Egyptians split the east bank (where sun rises) as life and west bank (where sun sets) as afterlife. So the temples and tombs on the west bank celebrate afterlife.
There are many sightsee locations. We don't have enough time to see everything. After visting, this is my recommended priority list. Obviously, this is just my preference, which is temples over tombs. And I can only comment on the sites we visited.
Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut
Mortuary Temple of Ramesses III at Medinat Habu
Valley of the Kings
Valley of the Queens (did not visit)
Ramesseum
Temple of Seti I
Colossi of Memnon
Etc
Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut
Although we visited in November, it was still quite hot. It was over 35 deg C mid-afternoon. And there are no shades or break from the sun. Definitely take the shuttle from the entrance to the temple. Save your energy for the temple itself, and other sights on the west bank.
Mortuary Temple of Ramesses III at Medinat Habu
Medinet Habu has classic pylon entrance to the temple, with interior courtyard. Here, you can see the front gate and also interior gate:
Hieroglyphs at Medinat Habu are quite impressive. They are carved deeply into the stone, so they really stand out. I was told that often later kings carve over the old drawings, so they purposely carve deeply to prevent that.
Every inch of the walls and columns are covered in hieroglyphs. And some of the paintings still have colors on them. Just imagine the vibrant colors these would have in antiquity.
Valley of the Kings
For me, these tombs were not as impressive as the temples. Tombs are tunnels that goes deep underground. Walls and ceilings are lined with drawings and hieroglyphs. It is not easy to take photos inside due to the low light; especially with smartphones and their small sensors. Also, some tombs have plastic-glass protecting the tomb walls from visitors. I got a collection of blurry photos (due long shutter speeds and camera shake) with a lot of noise. So I won't share any photos here.
We visited around 1-2pm, which is at hottest time of the day. And these tombs were not a break from the sun. On the contrary, it was hot inside, with stagnant air. Tombs' pathways slope downward; some are quite steep; and for many hundreds of feet. It is easy on the way in, but quite a climb on the way out. After going in and climbing out couple tombs, I was really drained.
With entrance fee, you can choose 3 out of 8 tombs. I believe these tombs open and close based on rotation. You need to check which are open when you visit, and then decide on the 3 tombs you want to visit.
Then there are 3 special tombs (if they are open) that require additional entrance fee to visit:
Ramesses V & VI
Seti I
Tutankhamun
Based on our experience on Valley of the Kings, we decided not to visit Valley of the Queens.
Ramesseum
This is a smaller temple with massive columns. If I just judge Ramesseum by itself, it is quite impressive. But this is Luxor. After visiting multiple temples nearby, Ramesseum is modest in comparison. I would say do visit Ramesseum if your schedule allows.
Temple of Seti I
In another country, this temple will have been must-see. But not in Egypt. Definitely optional depending on your schedule.
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