Thebes travel guide

Together with the temples of Luxor and Karnakto the east of the Nile, the rock tombs and places of worship in West Thebes

West Thebes are among the most impressive examples of ancient Egyptian culture and also the most frequently visited attractions in the country. capitalDuring the Middle and New Kingdom, Thebes was the capital and religious centre of Egypt; a flourishing metropolis spreading along the bank of the Nile where Luxor is located today. Across from the city on the west bank of the Nile was the necropolis, called West Thebes, which was used for over three thousand years. Except for Amenhotep IV, all pharaohs of the New Kingdom were interred in the huge necropolis; among them was Tutankhamun, whose intact tomb was discovered by Howard Carter in 1922. West Thebes was the first necropolis where the tombs and funerary temples were separated. The dead were interred in rock tombs up to 300m/330yd long hidden in the valleys of the Western Desert; the temples to honour the dead were built where the flat fertile land turned into desert. The temples also included residences for the priests, libraries and schools. Groves and lakes, storehouses, stalls for the flocks, barracks for the guards, and jails followed. The nearby villages and homesteads were home to many workers who earned a living in the necropolis – stonemasons, painters, construction workers, but above all embalmers who prepared the dead for burial. Thus a city gradually arose here, similar to the quarter next to the Mamluk tombs in Cairo. During the New Kingdom it was governed by an official, the “prince of the west and leader of the necropolis mercenaries”.
Don't miss: A detailed tour of western Thebes requires several days; if you are short on time, at least visit the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Hatshepsut, and the Ramesseum.

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