Luxor, Egypt was once ancient Thebes, the seat of pharaonic power during the majority of Middle and New Kingdom dynasties. It is the site of many of dynastic Egypt’s most impressive monuments.
On Luxor’s east bank are Karnak and Luxor temples, along with most of the modern city’s population and larger buildings. On the west bank can be found the tombs, temples, and monuments of the Theban necropolis-the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Queens, the Tombs of the Nobles, Deir el-Bahri, the Colossi of Memnon, and many others.
The west bank of Luxor is less populated and is comprised mainly of agricultural land, the ruins of ancient dynastic sites, and smaller residential structures. Large hotels do not exist on Luxor’s west bank. There are a good number of small hotels and guest houses between the Nile and the Theban Hills, but for the more adventurous and imaginative traveler a private villa might be the more interesting choice.
The villa featured in this video is as secluded and tranquil as can be found in Luxor. From its location a short distance from the Nile’s west bank all of the ancient Theban sites can be reached in a matter of minutes by car or ferry. In addition, Abydos, Silsila, Dendera, and Edfu are within relatively easy driving range. Visits to these sites can be accomplished in half a day.
After a day exploring ancient Egyptian ruins there is nothing quite like returning to your own private villa. When the warm afternoon turns to a cool evening you can have a chef prepare your dinner in-house and can consume it at your leisure on the villa’s rooftop patio overlooking atmospheric scenery in every direction. When the sun vanishes behind the Theban Hills and darkness arrives you can see the lights of Luxor temple glittering across the Nile, smell within the soft evening breeze the odors of nightfall in Upper Egypt, and feel the warmth of the sunny day still radiating from the tile floor.
You do not know exactly what the next day’s adventures will bring, but you do know you are in a place like no other, with a history dating back over five thousand years, a history composed of solid ruins and shadowy mysteries.
And though Luxor is often accurately called the world’s greatest open-air museum, this ancient city along the Nile is a living city with endless activity, its current residents and their endeavors and enterprising ventures and schemes at times as interesting as Egypt’s storied past.
All of this is just outside your doorstep.