Current Time in Luxor, Egypt

Luxor is an ancient city located on the east bank of the Nile River in Upper Egypt, approximately 700 kilometers south of Cairo. Often described as the world's greatest open-air museum, Luxor stands on the site of ancient Thebes, the capital of the New Kingdom of ancient Egypt (circa 1550–1070 BCE). The city is one of the most important archaeological sites on earth and one of Egypt's premier tourist destinations, attracting millions of visitors each year who come to marvel at its extraordinary concentration of ancient temples, tombs, and monuments.

With a population of approximately 500,000, Luxor is a mid-sized Egyptian city that has organized much of its economy around tourism and archaeological conservation. The juxtaposition of a living modern city with the remnants of one of humanity's greatest civilizations creates a unique urban atmosphere found nowhere else in the world.

The history of Luxor reaches back more than 4,000 years to when Thebes rose as the capital and religious center of ancient Egypt. The powerful pharaohs of the 18th, 19th, and 20th dynasties — including Tutankhamun, Ramesses II, and Hatshepsut — built magnificent temples and tombs here that stand to this day. The city was a center of worship for the god Amun, and its temple complexes at Karnak and Luxor were among the largest religious structures in the ancient world.

The Karnak Temple Complex is among the largest and most magnificent ancient temple sites anywhere on earth. Its Great Hypostyle Hall, with 134 massive columns covered in hieroglyphic reliefs, is breathtaking in scale and artistic detail. The Luxor Temple, connected to Karnak by the Avenue of Sphinxes, is another stunning monument brilliantly illuminated at night. On the west bank, the Valley of the Kings contains the elaborately decorated underground tombs of pharaohs, including the famous tomb of Tutankhamun discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter. The Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari and the Colossi of Memnon are among the other extraordinary west bank monuments.

The cultural life of Luxor is shaped by its role as a heritage city. The Luxor Museum houses a superb collection of artifacts from the Theban region, while the Mummification Museum explains the ancient practices of mummifying the dead. Hot air balloon rides over the west bank at sunrise offer one of the most spectacular views of any ancient site in the world.

Luxor is well served by Luxor International Airport, rail connections to Cairo and Aswan, and a fleet of Nile cruise ships that connect it to Aswan to the south. Local transportation includes horse carriages, taxis, and felucca sailboats on the Nile.

While tourism dominates, Luxor also has agricultural activities in its hinterland along the Nile's fertile banks. Several schools and a branch of South Valley University provide educational services to the local population.

Luxor's incomparable concentration of ancient wonders makes it one of the most important cities in human history, a living testament to the genius and ambition of ancient Egyptian civilization.