Luxor

The name Luxor originates from Arabic قصر qaṣr 'castle, palace', in the plural form al-quṣūr 'the palaces'. It may be equivalent to the Greek and Coptic toponym τὰ Τρία Κάστρα tà Tría Kástra and ⲡϣⲟⲙⲧ ⲛ̀ⲕⲁⲥⲧⲣⲟⲛ pshomt enkastron respectively, which both mean 'three castles'. The Sahidic Coptic name Pape comes from Demotic Ỉp.t meaning 'the adyton', which, in turn, is descended from older Egyptian. The Greek forms Ἀπις and Ὠφιεῖον originate from the same source. The Egyptian village of Aba al-Waqf has the same etymology. The Greek name is Thebes (Ancient Greek: Θῆβαι Thêbai) or Diospolis. The Egyptian name of the city is Waset, also known as Nut (Egyptian nwt, Coptic: ⲛⲏ), written as and .

Luxor was the ancient city of Thebes, the capital of Upper Egypt during the New Kingdom, and the city of Amun, later to become the god Amun-Ra. The city was regarded in the ancient Egyptian texts as wAs.t (approximate pronunciation: "Waset"), which meant "city of the sceptre", and later in Demotic Egyptian as ta jpt (conventionally pronounced as "tA ipt" and meaning "the shrine/temple", referring to the jpt-swt, the temple now known by its Arabic name Karnak, meaning "fortified village"), which the ancient Greeks adapted as Thebai and the Romans after them as Thebae. Thebes was also known as "the city of the 100 gates", sometimes being called "southern Heliopolis" ('Iunu-shemaa' in Ancient Egyptian), to distinguish it from the city of Iunu or Heliopolis, the main place of worship for the god Ra in the north. It was also often referred to as niw. …

Approximately 4,000 years ago, a significant alteration in the geography of the Nile River occurred, particularly in the region near modern-day Luxor. This transformation involved the expansion of the floodplain, which increased the availability of arable land. This geographic and environmental shift likely played a crucial role in supporting the agricultural productivity that underpinned the prosperity and stability of ancient Egyptian civilization during that period and over the years. 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 city in Egypt. Aswan and Luxor have nearly the same climate. Luxor is one of the sunniest and driest cities in the world. Average high temperatures are above 40 °C (104 °F) during summer (June, July, August). …

The economy of Luxor, like that of many other Egyptian cities, is heavily dependent on tourism. Since 1988, Luxor has been the only city that offers hot air balloon rides in Egypt, which is a common activity for tourists. Large numbers of people also work in agriculture, particularly sugarcane. There are also many industries, such as the pottery industry, used in eating, and many other uses. 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). The massacre reduced tourist numbers for several years. Following the 2011 Arab Spring, tourism to Egypt dropped significantly, again affecting local tourist markets. …

A controversial tourism development plan aims to transform Luxor into the biggest, 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 miles) 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. On 18 April 2019, the Egyptian Government announced the discovery of a previously unopened coffin in Luxor, dated back to 18th dynasty of Upper and Lower Egypt. …

Meritaten, Egyptian Royal Wife, King's Daughter Ahmose-Nefertari, Egyptian queen consort Neferhotep I, Egyptian pharaoh Sobekhotep IV, Egyptian king Ahmed el-Tayeb, Egyptian Islamic scholar Bahaa Taher (1935–2022), Egyptian novelist Yusuf Abu al-Haggag (1150–1245), Egyptian Scholar and Saint of Luxor