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For the ancient settlement at Luxor, see Thebes, Egypt. For other uses, see Luxor (disambiguation).
Top: First pylon in Precinct of Amun-Re, 2nd left: Night view in Luxor Temple, 2nd right: Colossi of Memnon Statue, Middle left: Pillars of Great Hypostyle Hall ancient site, Middle right: Hatshepsut Temple in Deir el-Bchari, 4th left: Statue of Ramses Ⅱ  in Karnak Temple, 4th right: Needle Monument in Karnak Temple, Bottom: View of Pillars of Great Hypostyle Hall ancient site
Luxor is located in Egypt
Location of Luxor within Egypt
Coordinates: 25°41′N 32°39′E﻿ / ﻿25.683°N 32.650°E﻿ / 25.683; 32.650Coordinates: 25°41′N 32°39′E﻿ / ﻿25.683°N 32.650°E﻿ / 25.683; 32.650
Country  Egypt
Governorate Luxor
 • Total 416 km2 (161 sq mi)
Elevation 76 m (249 ft)
Population (2012)[2]
 • Total 506,588
 • Density 1,200/km2 (3,200/sq mi)
Postal code 85511
Area code(s) (+20) 95

Luxor (/ˈlʌk.sɔr/ or /ˈlʊk.sɔr/;[3] Arabic: الأقصرal-Uqṣur ; Egyptian Arabic: Loʔṣor  IPA: [ˈloʔsˤoɾ]; Sa'idi Arabic: Logṣor  [ˈloɡsˤor]) is a city in Upper (southern) Egypt and the capital of Luxor Governorate. The population numbers 487,896 (2010 estimate),[2] with an area of approximately 416 square kilometres (161 sq mi).[1] As the site of the Ancient Egyptian city of Thebes,[4] Luxor has frequently been characterized as the "world's greatest open-air museum", as the ruins of the temple complexes at Karnak and Luxor stand within the modern city. Immediately opposite, across the River Nile, lie the monuments, temples and tombs of the West Bank Necropolis, which includes the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens. Thousands of tourists from all around the world arrive annually to visit these monuments, contributing greatly to the economy of the modern city.


The name Luxor comes from the Arabic al-quṣūr (القصور), lit. "the palaces," from the pl. of qaṣr (قصر), which is a loanword from the Latin castrum "fortified camp".[5] (Compare Alcázar of Seville)



The importance of the city started as early as the 11th Dynasty, when the town grew into a thriving city, renowned for its high social status and luxury, but also as a center for wisdom, art, religious and political supremacy.[6] Montuhotep II who united Egypt after the troubles of the first intermediate period brought stability to the lands as the city grew in stature. The Pharaohs of the New Kingdom in their expeditions to Kush, in today's northern Sudan, and to the lands of Canaan, Phoenicia and Syria saw the city accumulate great wealth and rose to prominence, even on a world scale.[6] Thebes played a major role in expelling the invading forces of the Hyksos from Upper Egypt, and from the time of the 18th Dynasty through to the 20th Dynasty, the city had risen as the major political, religious and military capital of Ancient Egypt.

The city attracted peoples such as the Babylonians, the Mitanni, the Hittites of Anatolia (modern-day Turkey), the Canaanites of Ugarit, the Phoenicians of Byblos and Tyre, the Minoans from the island of Crete.[6] A Hittite prince from Anatolia even came to marry with the widow of Tutankhamun, Ankhesenamun.[6] The political and military importance of the city, however, faded during the Late Period, with Thebes being replaced as political capital by several cities in Northern Egypt, such as Bubastis, Sais and finally Alexandria.


Later, the city was attacked by Assyrian emperor Assurbanipal who installed the Libyan prince on the throne, Psamtik I.[6] The city of Thebes was in ruins and fell in significance. However, Alexander the Great did arrive at the temple of Amun, where the statue of the god was transferred from Karnak during the Opet Festival, the great religious feast.[6] The grandeur of Thebes would still remain a site of spirituality, and attracted numerous Christian monks in the Roman Empire who established monasteries amidst several ancient monuments including the temple of Hatshepsut, now called Deir el-Bahri ("the northern monastery").[6]


Luxor has a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWh) like the rest of Egypt. Aswan and Luxor have the hottest summer days of any other city in Egypt. Aswan and Luxor have nearly the same climate. Luxor is one of the hottest, sunniest and driest cities in the world. Average high temperatures are above 40 °C (104 °F) during summer (June, July, August) while average low temperatures remain above 22 °C (71.6 °F). Summers are long, prolonged and extremely hot. During the coldest month of the year, average high temperatures remain above 22 °C (71.6 °F) while average low temperatures remain above 5 °C (41 °F). Winters are short, brief and extremely warm. Wintertime is very pleasant and enjoyable while summertime is unbearably hot with blazing sunshine although desert heat is dry.

The climate of Luxor is extremely dry year-round, with less than 1 mm of average annual precipitation. The desert city is one of the driest ones in the world, and rainfall doesn't occur every year. The air is mainly dry in Luxor but much more humid than in Aswan. There is an average relative humidity of 39.9%, with a maximum mean of 57% during winter and a minimum mean if 27% during summer.

The climate of Luxor is extremely clear, bright and sunny year-round, in all seasons, with a low seasonal variation, with about some 4,000 hours of annual sunshine, very close of the maximum theoretical sunshine duration. Luxor is one of the sunniest places on Earth.



Climate data for Luxor
Record high °C (°F) 32.9
Average high °C (°F) 23.0
Daily mean °C (°F) 13.8
Average low °C (°F) 5.4
Record low °C (°F) −0.3
Average precipitation mm (inches) 0
Average precipitation days 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.0 1.0 1.9
Average relative humidity (%) 55 47 39 31 29 27 30 33 37 43 51 57 39.9
Mean daily sunshine hours 9 10 10 10 11 12 12 12 11 10 10 9 10.5
Source #1: NOAA[8]
Source #2: Weather2Travel for sunshine[9]


Streets of Luxor in 2004
Luxor souq


The local economy was hit by the Luxor massacre in 1997, in which a total of 64 people (including 59 visiting tourists) were killed, at the time the worst terrorist attack in Egypt (before the Sharm el-Sheikh terrorist attacks).[10] The massacre reduced tourist numbers for several years.[11] Following the 2011 Arab Spring, tourism to Egypt dropped significantly, again affecting local tourist markets.


Tourism development[edit]

Street market

A controversial tourism development plan aims to transform Luxor into a vast open-air museum. The master plan envisions new roads, five-star hotels, glitzy shops, and an IMAX theatre. The main attraction is an 11 million dollar project to unearth and restore the 2.7 kilometres (1.7 mi) long Avenue of Sphinxes that once linked Luxor and Karnak temples. The ancient processional road was built by the pharaoh Amenhotep III and took its final form under Nectanebo I in 400 BCE. Over a thousand sphinx statues lined the road now being excavated which was covered by silt, homes, mosques and churches. Excavation started around 2004.[12]

2013 Luxor hot air balloon crash[edit]




Luxor is served by Luxor International Airport.

Luxor international airport

A bridge was opened in 1998, a few kilometres upstream of the main town of Luxor, allowing ready land access from the east bank to the west bank. Traditionally, however, river crossings have been the domain of several ferry services. The so-called 'local ferry' (also known as the 'National Ferry') continues to operate from a landing opposite the Temple of Luxor. The single fare (June 2008) is 1 L.E. - one Egyptian Pound - per passenger for foreigners. Egyptian nationals pay ¼ of that, 25 piasters. This ferry is mainly used by the locals although a number of foreigners do use it.

Luxor railway station




International relations[edit]


Towns and cities

Luxor is twinned with the following cities:


Sights of modern-day Luxor[edit]

East bank
West bank



See also[edit]


  1. ^ a b
  2. ^ a b "World Gazetteer - Egypt: largest cities and towns and statistics of their population". Archived from the original on 10 December 2012.  (retrieved 2010-7-27)
  3. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition. Merriam-Webster, 2007. p. 1557
  4. ^ "Luxor, Egypt". 
  5. ^ Online Etymology Dictionary: Luxor
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h "History of Luxor (Thebes)". Sacred Destinations. Retrieved December 1, 2008. 
  7. ^ "Luxor, Egypt". Voodoo Skies. Retrieved 21 June 2013. 
  8. ^ "Luxor Climate Normals 1961–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved January 25, 2015. 
  9. ^ "Luxor Climate and Weather Averages, Egypt". Weather2Travel. Retrieved 15 August 2013. 
  10. ^ Shock in Sharm 23 July, Serene Assir, Al-Ahram Weekly
  12. ^ McGrath, Cam (2011-06-16). "Mideast: Sphinx Avenue Paved With Bitter Memories — Global Issues". Retrieved 2011-09-16. 
  13. ^ (Times of India, Indore, MP, India edition Wed, Feb. 27, 2013)
  14. ^ "Baltimore City Mayor's Office of International and Immigrant Affairs - Sister Cities Program". Retrieved 2009-07-18. [dead link]
  18. ^ "Georgia’s wine region twins with Egypt’s Luxor". 11 March 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2015. 

External links[edit]