Luxor is a city in south-central Egypt, located on the Nile River more than 67 kilometers south of Cairo. It is located on the ruins of Thebes, the capital of the Middle Kingdom and the New Kingdom in ancient Egypt. It was called Thebes in ancient times and was the capital of Egypt in the era of the Middle Kingdom and the New Kingdom. Luxor owns Karnak Temple, Luxor Palace, Valley of Kings, Valley of Queens and the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut. Thebes site, the ancient capital of Egypt, is a concentration of Thebes cultural relics and is known as the "largest open-air museum" on the earth. The ancient city of Thebes is a powerful witness to Egypt's high civilization. In 1979, the Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis was listed on the World Heritage List by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee as a cultural heritage.
Luxor (Thebes) was built in the 11th dynasty of China, with a history of more than 4, years. By the 18th dynasty of the New Kingdom, Thebes had reached its peak, and the city straddled the middle reaches of the Nile. It is said that Thebes at that time was densely populated, with thousands of buildings, and there were one hundred gates. Homer called it "the capital of hundreds of gates" in his epic, and it was one of the oldest capitals in the world. Today Luxor is the largest open-air museum in the world and has the reputation of "Palace City". The Nile runs through the city and divides it in two. Because the ancient Egyptians believed that human life, like the sun, rose in the east and set in the west, there were magnificent temples and vibrant residential areas on the east bank of the river, and tombs of pharaohs, queens and nobles on the west bank of the river. "City of the Living" and "City of the Dead" face each other across the river, forming an eternal cycle of two worlds. The ancient Egyptians believed that the East symbolized life, while the West meant death.
Luxor is a tourist attraction with concentrated places of interest in Egypt. The ancient city of Thebes and its cemeteries include Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple, The Valley of the Kings, The Valley of the Queens, the Temple of Hatshepsut (Deir el-Bahari) and so on.
Karnak Temple: Located 5 kilometers north of Luxor, Karnak Temple was built in the 17th Dynasty more than 3, years ago. After several dynasties' repair and expansion, it has experienced continuous expansion. It is the most spectacular temple left by the ancient Egyptian empire and is famous all over the world for its huge scale. The large-scale Karnak Temple is all built with huge stones. The temple gate is as high as 38 meters. Karnak Temple consists of many temples, including more than 2 large and small temples. Only the well-preserved part of the temple covers an area of more than 3 hectares, making it the largest temple group in the world today. There are 12 huge and magnificent tower gates in the temple. Entering the tower gate, the courtyards are connected and promoted layer by layer. The main hall and etiquette hall are located at the back of the building complex. Between the second tower gate and the third tower gate is the famous "Pillar Hall" built around 13 BC, which was built by Seti I and completed by Ramses II. The main hall is 12 meters long and 53 meters wide, covering an area of 5, square meters. There are 134 huge stone pillars in the hall, with a central column as high as 2.4 meters and a diameter of 3.4 meters. The stone pillars are engraved with hieroglyphs and painted reliefs, and the disk of the stigma is lotus-shaped or papyrus-shaped. There is also a large pool on one side of the temple, called the holy lake, which is said to be used by priests to bathe before offering sacrifices. There is a famous stone carving of St. Beetle on the holy lake. As the largest temple in Egypt, the Karnak Temple gives people the feeling of shock, not to mention the huge and heavy tower door and the tall and straight statue. The most magical thing is the obelisk of Queen Hacepsut, which is 3 meters high and weighs 32 tons. On the stone wall of the temple, you can see their glorious historical sites carved by ancient Egyptians in hieroglyphics. There are also some famous obelisks and many statues of Pharaoh's empresses in the temple.
Luxor Temple: Luxor Temple is the temple of Mott, the wife of the Thebes God Amon, which is second only to Karnak Temple. The temple is 262 meters long and 56 meters wide, and consists of tower doors, courtyards, column halls and shrines. The pagoda gate is the main entrance to the temple. Six giant stone statues of Ramses II stand on both sides of the tower gate, of which two on both sides of the tower gate are 14 meters high. It has an amazing majestic momentum, and each pillar represents the majesty of Pharaoh. Being in it will make people forget the passage of time temporarily and think a lot. Most of the works here were completed by the 18th Pharaoh Amonofis III. Later, Ramses II built more gates and courtyards, and erected six statues of him at the door, and there are three existing ones. There used to be two obelisks at the temple gate, one of which now stands in Place de la Concorde in Paris, France.
From Luxor, cross the Nile by boat or cross the bridge by car to the other side, and set foot on the land on the west bank of the Nile, you will enter the valley with bare rocks and barren grass. The Valley of the Kings is located in the canyon. The Valley of the Kings, built from 15 BC to 1 BC, is the place where the tombs of emperors and dignitaries in the 18th to 2th dynasties of the New Kingdom are concentrated. There are 62 pharaohs buried here. Therefore, people call this valley "the Valley of the Kings".
Thutmosis I built the cave mausoleum in the Valley of the Kings in order to prevent tomb raiding. However, the Valley of the Kings is doomed by history to become a paradise for grave robbers. These tombs are dug along the mountain, with ups and downs, halls, walls and arched ceilings on the left and right. The walls are painted with colorful murals with characters, and there are portraits of gods in various animal shapes, as well as scenes of ancient farming, hunting and happy singing and dancing in the court. There are 62 tombs excavated in the Valley of the Kings, including the tombs of famous pharaohs such as Thutmose I, Thutmosis III, Amenhotep II II, Seti I I, Ramses II and Tutankhamun. These 62 tombs of pharaohs include Hatshepsut, the first female pharaoh in Egyptian history. The largest of these tombs is the tomb of seti i of 19th dynasty. From the entrance to the last tomb, the horizontal distance is 21m, and the vertical descending distance is 45m. Huge rock caves are dug into underground palaces, and the walls and ceilings are covered with murals, which is unimaginable. The entrance to the tomb is often halfway up the mountain, and there is a small passage leading to the depths of the tomb. The patterns and hieroglyphs on the two walls of the passage are still very clear.
The Valley of the Kings: Crossing the lush Luxor Nile Valley, stepping on the land on the west bank of the Nile, you will enter the valley where the rocks are exposed. The Valley of the Kings, built from 15 BC to 1 BC, is the place where the tombs of emperors and dignitaries in the 18th to 2th dynasties of the New Kingdom are concentrated. More than 6 pharaohs and members of the royal family are buried here. Therefore, people call this valley "the Valley of the Kings". Thutmosis I built the cave tomb in the Valley of the Kings in order to prevent tomb raiding. However, the Valley of the Kings is destined to become a paradise for grave robbers by history. These tombs are dug along the mountain, with ups and downs, halls, walls and arched ceilings on the left and right. The walls are painted with colorful murals with characters, and there are portraits of gods in various animal shapes, as well as scenes of ancient farming, hunting and happy singing and dancing in the court. There are 62 tombs excavated in the Valley of the Kings, including the tombs of famous pharaohs such as Thutmose I, Thutmosis III, Amenhotep II II, Seti I I, Ramses II and Tutankhamun. The largest of these tombs is the tomb of seti i of 19th dynasty. From the entrance to the last tomb, the horizontal distance is 21m, and the vertical descending distance is 45m. Huge rock caves are dug into underground palaces, and the walls and ceilings are covered with murals, which is unimaginable. The entrance to the tomb is often halfway up the mountain, and there is a small passage leading to the depths of the tomb. The patterns and hieroglyphs on the two walls of the passage are still very clear.
On November 4th, 1922, British archaeologist Howard Carter and others discovered Tutankhamun's tomb in the Valley of the Kings, which is the only ancient Egyptian tomb that has not been excavated. Tutankhamun was the Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty in the new kingdom of ancient Egypt. Tutankhamun's mausoleum is small in scale and simple in form. It is generally composed of tunnel, vestibule, coffin room, ear room and warehouse. Among the rooms, the front hall is the largest, with an area of 8.5 4 meters. There are murals in the coffin room, which are mainly religious activities and burial scenes. The coffin * * * has seven layers, with four wooden coffins outside and three layers inside, namely sarcophagus, hardwood humanoid coffin and gold humanoid coffin. The innermost layer is a gold face portrait human coffin with luxurious surface decoration and exquisite craftsmanship. Inside the coffin is the mummy of Pharaoh Tutankhamun, whose face is wearing a gold mask. In addition to the coffin room, other rooms are covered with thousands of funerary objects such as furniture, statues, weapons, king's staff, gold-coated chariots and so on.
Most of the tombs of ancient Egyptian pharaohs were looted by ancient grave robbers, but Tutankhamun's tomb survived. This tomb, which has never been discovered by grave robbers, is surprisingly well preserved. Tutankhamun, a young pharaoh who was not known before, became a household name in the news for a time. The discovery of Tutankhamun's mausoleum shocked the world and was one of the greatest archaeological discoveries in the world in the 2th century.
There is no record of Tutankhamun's death in history. Although archaeologists found a mark of injury on his head when examining his mummy, it was partially cured before his death, which may be an accidental injury, but it does not rule out the possibility of assassination. Tutankhamun died before and after he took office, and there is almost no record of this young Pharaoh in history.
Tutankhamun ruled Egypt for 9 years. In 1323 BC, when he was 18 years old, he died mysteriously. Tutankhamun's tomb is located at the foot of the cliff where the Pharaoh was buried. There are indications that the grave robbers sneaked into the tomb, but they didn't take anything. It may be that the man who robbed the tomb was surprised and ran away. Later, the grave keeper sealed the tomb door again.
The cultural relics unearthed in Tutankhamun's ancient tomb are unprecedented. It took 1 years for people to sort out these treasures and transfer them to the National Museum of Egypt in Cairo. But it didn't end, because more than 2 people who participated in the excavation of Tutankhamun's tomb died in a short time, and the cause of death was unknown. So people talk that this is "the curse of the pharaohs".
The Pharaoh's saying that the spell appeared, spread like wildfire from now on. It is said that several inscriptions of Pharaoh's curse were found in this tomb, and one of them said, "Whoever disturbs the peace of this Pharaoh, the wings of death will fall on his head." It is unclear whether Pharaoh's spell is the sustenance of Pharaoh's desire for peace, or whether it is a merciless warning to future grave robbers.
The mysterious tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun is like "Pandora's box". After it was opened, disasters occurred one after another. Some people think that ancient Egyptians may have used viruses to deal with grave robbers. It has also been suggested that the deadly thing is not virus but mold. Because there are many foods in the funerary objects of Pharaoh, they will rot for a long time and form many molds in the grave. Those who enter the grave will inevitably inhale, resulting in lung infection and painful death. Some scientists believe that the Pharaoh's spell comes from the structure of the tomb, and the design of the pyramid-shaped mound and tomb can produce and gather some special magnetic field or energy wave, thus causing death. The interpretation of radiation is also under consideration. The ancient Egyptians had discovered the function of radioactive uranium and used it to protect the peace behind the Pharaoh.
In the Valley of the Kings, visitors need to make an appointment to enter the Pharaoh's Mausoleum in Tutankhamun, and they can only enter by purchasing tickets. Other pharaoh's mausoleums don't need to make an appointment. You can freely choose three different pharaoh's mausoleums to visit at one entrance, and it is forbidden to take photos in the mausoleum.
The Valley of the Queens: The Valley of the Queens was built from 13 BC to 11 BC. Similar to the Valley of the Kings, it is an underground tomb, but they are not pharaohs' tombs. But the tombs of the queens and members of the royal family of the pharaohs during the 19th and 2th dynasties, the most special of which is the tomb of Queen Nefertari, which was opened in 1995. It is one of the most beautiful and ornate tombs in Egypt. Nefertitali, the wife of the 19th Pharaoh Ramses II, is the most beautiful queen in the legendary Egyptian history.
Queen Hatshepsut Temple: The Queen Hatshepsut Temple is built on the hill and divided into three floors, with exquisite reliefs, colonnades and murals. Queen Hatshepsut (reigned from 1479 BC to 1458 BC) was the daughter of Pharaoh Thutmose I of the 18th dynasty and the first female Pharaoh in Egypt. Because she and her husband Thutmose II had only one daughter, after Thutmose II's death, the throne was left to the son of a princess. She acted as the queen mother to manage the affairs of the young Tuthmus III, and then became the first female Pharaoh in Egyptian history. After Hatshepsut's death, Tuthmus III took over the political power, and in hatred of the Queen, he destroyed all the statues of the Queen in the temple.
Sun Keqin writes and photographs.