Luxor

Modern Luxor, which occupies part of the site of ancient Thebes, lies on the east bank of the Nile about 700 krns south of Cairo, and has a population of 150,000. Its history can be traced back to 2000 B.C. when it was a small village, Waset. Thebes was the capital of the ancient Egyptian empire, which extended from the Euphrates to Upper Nubia, for almost a thousand years, and even when it was not the capital it played an important role in the country's history, serving as a spiritual and economic center. Remains of its great temples, obelisks and tombs can still be seen and some of the sculptures, inscriptions and paintings of scenes of daily life and religious beliefs are in almost perfect condition, contributing almost more than any other archaeological site tö our knowledge of early man.

Champollion, decipherer of hieroglyphics, said: "In Thebes the imagination of the Egyptians operated as though it was the imagination of giants. No people, ancient or new, has raised the art of architecture to such exalted stature' . Luxor, whose name originates in the Arabic word for "castles", is the main tourist centre of Upper Egypt, with horse-drawn carriages plying the streets and white-sailed feluccas drifting on the calm blue waters of the Nile.