Southwards: From Cairo To Luxor
There is a map of Egypt in a street in Old Cairo which displays all of the ancient historical and religious sites across the country. Amusingly, there is a big section coloured red which is labelled “A large area of desert with nothing in it”. As the plane starts to descend on the short flight from Cairo to Luxor, and we drop below the ever-present haze, the vast nothingness is there laid bare for us to see: the entire landscape is one single colour. Yes there are contours and elevation changes, but there is not a single break in the ochre blanket.
That same map back in Cairo also had one bold green line twisting its way down the country – the oasis which brackets the path of the mighty Nile. And along the road from Luxor airport to the city, the scene really is remarkable: acre upon acre of lush green fields of crops, fruits and vegetables stretch either side of the highway across the totally flat plateau, yet each side, about a mile away in each direction, we can see the exact line where agriculture ends and the desert takes over.
We both remember learning about the Aswan Dam and the irrigation channels of the Nile Valley many years ago in school, and here it all is in its luscious green glory some sixty years after creation of the High Dam. It must have been an advent which transformed the way of life here, although of course the original irrigation systems were initiated in ancient times and are widely credited with being the earliest examples of formal agriculture.
Construction of the dams enabled control of the annual natural floods, heralding greater control of harvests and migration of peoples from mountain dwellings to the valley. Sugar cane alone is farmed to such a degree that a network of narrow gauge railway lines criss cross the plateau, carting thousands of tons of the stuff from fields to factory.
From the moment our host Walid greets us at the gates of his beautiful Luxor house it’s obvious he’s going to be a character in our Egypt adventure and a lot more than just a host. As he sits us down in his garden and makes possibly the best coffee so far in this country of wonderful coffees, he invites us to talk through everything we want to do whilst in Luxor and offers useful advice on everything. No hard sell, no “my cousin can arrange it”, no “I can get good price for you”, not even a “I have a shop in town”. He does, though, tell us he has sixteen cats. We will no doubt speak more of Walid.
Views of our Luxor home…..
The two temples of Luxor and Karnak are joined by a 2,700 metre walkway known as the Avenue Of Sphinxes, a regal pathway flanked on both sides throughout its entire length by statues in varying states of ruin. With 1,067 plinth mounted statues of rams, criosphinx (ram’s head on lion’s body) and androsphinx (man’s head on lion’s body) this must have been a terrifically impressive avenue upon its completion nearly 3,000 years ago.
The colonnade was only unearthed in 1949 when archeologists first uncovered statues near the Luxor end, the full length of the avenue being finally dug out from the covering sand in 2000. Only four months ago in November 2021, a massive Luxor town party accompanied the final opening of the walkway after seven decades of archeological toil.
We walk its full length, of course, at the time not even realising how new to everyone this experience is, only afterwards do we read of its recent opening. The two temples, pre-dating the colonnade at around 4,000 years old, are absolutely stunning in numerous ways: for one, the sheer size of both is incredible, with Karnak mooted as one of the world’s largest temples. However, the scale of the statuary in both temples is huge, giant figures towering over us as we look up in wonder at the detail on these colossal forms.
Equally stunning is the sheer number of statues, columns and other remains of buildings, but what really grabs us and won’t let go is the ancient artwork still so readily visible. Hieroglyphics and drawings telling stories and providing detail of life in ancient society, and incredibly, hues of reds, blues and greens in these depictions of life: colours still clearly discernible thousands of years after their creation. Fabulous.
Back in Memphis, Mohamed had taught us some basics about reading these carved scriptures, but not enough for us to do anything more than marvel at the sheer extent of it all here in Karnak.
Luxor is opening its arms to us. Ignore the tourist bazaar and pass through the back into the Egyptian market where locals haggle with stallholders over prices, carry huge bags of produce home on their heads, weave their mopeds between pedestrians. Look out across the wide, sweeping River Nile and spy the great looming mountains which mark the edge of the desert. Breathe in the scent of incense, of hookahs, of spices and of meat roasting over coals.
Join the chattering locals on the ferry which connects the two halves of the city on the east and west banks; see donkeys pull overloaded carts through town; look up into the cloudless sky as the muezzin’s call fills the air once more. Of course, Luxor’s proximity to the temples means there’s a tourist element, but there is also an ordinary town here buzzing with life and going about its business. In less than a day we have connected with Luxor in a way that we never quite managed with Cairo.
Being woken up by a 4am alarm isn’t the tiniest bit of a pain when your day is starting with a sunrise hot air balloon ride above the ancient temples of Egypt. Our previous balloon trip, in Turkey in 2020, was spectacular, but this one, giving us a bird’s eye view of the vastness of the temples, is absolutely fantastic. The statues look colossal even from up here, but even more spellbinding is the size of the area covered by the temples and, further, the seemingly endless Sahara stretching its emptiness way beyond the haze which blurs the horizon.
All these temples, valleys and layouts were part of the ancient city of Thebes which must have been one mighty metropolis. We’ve seen some pretty impressive ancient city footprints in Greece and Turkey in the last couple of years but Thebes is something else. As we gently touch down from the balloon flight, not yet 7am, we know we’ve had a very special experience.
Our Luxor felucca ride is even more peaceful than Cairo, as we glide along the waters of the Nile from the city to Banana Island and watch the honey coloured sun set in the sandy haze. Pied kingfishers dive and swallows swoop while herons, ibis and egrets strut around the shallows.
Luxor is completely severed by the Nile, there are no bridges within the city limits and the east and west bank settlements are separate halves of the whole. Boats fizz across the water, river cruise crafts sit patiently waiting for the main season to begin, but the hulking, slow moving waters dictate the pace. Even the well used passenger ferry connecting the two halves of Luxor seems serene as it ambles back and forth.
Walid is busy in the garden when we return from the early balloon ride, and the smell of his wonderful coffee is in the air: the coffee pot is nestled on a cradle above the wood fire in the garden.
“You enjoy the balloon? Are you happy?”, he asks.
“We’re very happy, thank you Walid. And you made coffee”.
“No” he says, smiling, “Come. I have made you Egyptian breakfast”.
It’s delicious if just a tad on the oversized. We tell him how tasty it was.
“Good”, he says, “because tonight I am going to cook you traditional Egyptian dinner in my special oven”.
Now THAT will be interesting.
28 Comments
wetanddustyroads
We are green with envy!
That is quite amazing … to see desert and then suddenly such green and luscious fields. Love how colourful your Luxor home is and yes, those statues at the Luxor Temples are indeed huge! Ahh, that hot air balloon excursion – looks amazing! What a breakfast … one you can eat the whole day!
Phil & Michaela
Luxor has been really good, we like it here!
giacomoasinello
Wow! Those “edge of the oasis” photos are truly impressive!
Phil & Michaela
I know, it’s a really stunning sight.
Toonsarah
Oh this takes me back – but also makes me want to return!! We didn’t do a balloon ride which would be an absolute must for us these days! And of course that avenue wasn’t fully uncovered, although we did visit, and be totally awed by, Karnak. Are you still in Luxor? If so, and if the Son et Lumiere is offered at Karnak, I can recommend it. Touristy yes, but the ruins look stunning lit up like that and the stories they told really brought it to life for me.
Walid sounds quite a character and his house is beautiful. I had to smile though at the pats of Lurpak in the traditional Egyptian breakfast :lol I can’t wait to hear about his dinner!
Phil & Michaela
Yay!! We were so hoping someone spotted and commented on the Lurpak…it made us laugh too!! We are still in Luxor but probably won’t make the light show as time is running short. But if you ever return, do the balloon, it’s fantastic!
Lookoom
In my trip to Egypt, I had planned to cross “Middle Egypt” by bus. This was forbidden by the authorities just before departure for security reasons. There is still Luxor, a nice little town, far from the chaos of Cairo, where to approach the local life with more ease. The balloon flight is a great idea
Phil & Michaela
We’ve really enjoyed Luxor, it’s been our kind of town.
Heyjude
Your love of Luxor shines through and you sound much more relaxed than in Cairo. I must admit I wouldn’t mind seeing those temples in person, I do recall watching an excellent programme on TV about them.
Phil & Michaela
It’s been great here, Jude. You’re right, we really like Luxor
Latitude Adjustment: A Tale of Two Wanderers
Absolutely amazing stuff folks! great information. Saving for our bucket list!
Phil & Michaela
Cheers guys, it’s been a mix so far!
Monkey's Tale
What a great hot air balloon ride. The green of the oasis next to the desert looks gorgeous. The hieroglyphics in Luxor look as if they were just made last week. Great post! Maggie
Phil & Michaela
Thanks Maggie, yes that was one terrific ride
WanderingCanadians
The landscape looks beautiful and I love the contrast between the barren desert and lush oasis. The hot air balloon ride sounds like an incredible experience and a great way to see a different side of Luxor from up above. That Egyptian breakfast looks amaaaazing.
Phil & Michaela
We have really liked Luxor..little bit sad to be moving on…
Alison
Luxor looks simply amazing. The house you are in is just gorgeous. The views from the balloon ride are stunning. Luxor looks more enticing that Cairo. Hope you enjoyed Walid’s dinner
Phil & Michaela
Luxor was really good – we were a little sad to be moving on.
Alison
Hopefully the next place will be wonderful too
grandmisadventures
Incredible read on Luxor! You certainly got to see the area from all angles. What a stark contrast between the desert and the oasis! Loved seeing the different temples and learning more on them!
Phil & Michaela
Thank you, yes we really enjoyed Luxor
Forestwood
Hey Phil and Michaela! What an amazing time you are having. I am amazed at the sharp delineation between desert and croplands along the Nile. But those statues! Incredible. I am thankful you stood next to them to give some perspective. It must have been so very grand in its day. I probably won’t ever get to Luxor so I was especially pleased to see the temples and structural gems in the area, as well as an insight into daily life – with Danish Lurpak thrown in! The company must be exporting everywhere as it has become one of the staple butters on offer in Australia!
Phil & Michaela
Yes, some things get everywhere! There is so much ancient history to see and absorb here…in fact so much that it’s hard to take it all in sometimes
Forestwood
I cam imagine! Sensory overload in a good way.
Annie Berger
Loved seeing your balloon ride over Luxor as Steven and I didn’t have the nerve to do it in either Turkey or Egypt. Looks from your photos that there are very few tourists in any of the sights. That was sadly the case for the locals when we visited. Fantastic photos of the desert, Avenues of the Sphinxes, and Karnak – thank you for sharing your trip with us.
Phil & Michaela
Tourism definitely hasn’t recovered here and the people are definitely struggling to make a living, as per the first few paragraphs of today’s post. Life is tough for a lot of people out here just now.
rkrontheroad
What a lovely place to stay! The historic Luxor sights look so beautifully maintained. Quite a treat to drift along and see it all from the air.
Phil & Michaela
We really enjoyed Luxor – bit sad to have moved on, in truth!