WHS#61

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that Ancient Thebes is one of the most underrated WHS out there. I don't think it gets quite the reputation it deserves, among both tourists and more in-depth travellers, for I dont know, maybe housing not just one, but multiple world-class wonders? For being the peak of Ancient Egyptian history, culture, and art? For being one of the most influential cities in world history? In Egypt alone, Cairo and Giza get almost all the attention, while more in-depth travellers might prefer the more peaceful Aswan and far-away Abu Simbel, but Luxor is in the middle of it all, and I don't think enough people realize that. And it's not only the best of both worlds, it's the best in its own right. For me, the Ancient Egyptian civilization as a whole doesn't get the credit it deserves, either. It's more often remembered for its age, its opulence, or as a great setting for Western media, but really, what astounded me when I visited in May 2018 was how far ahead of its time it was. They made so many developments that we see as normal now, and they left so much more for us to learn by studying their history. And Ancient Thebes was the center of it all. Even though so much is gone and has been replaced by the (not so beautiful) modern city, there's still so much left to experience that other ancient civilizations that had come both before and after it could only hope to offer in terms of artistry, grandeur, character, and innovation.

The original itinerary called for the exploration of Luxor over 2 days. Boy, was I in for a surprise when our tour guide announced that we would be tackling up to 4 millennia of history and both banks of the Nile in a single day! We were in for many surprises that day, though. First stop: The Valley of the Kings on the West Bank. We were actually offered a hot air balloon ride, but with the limited time, we had to decline it. And while the valley is surrounded by the dramatic desert scenery of barren rocky cliffs and jagged stone formations, no does not come here for what is above ground, but what is below. 63 tombs up to 3500 years old litter the bedrock of the floor and walls of the valley, and while only a small fraction of those are open at a time, you are guaranteed to be awed by the tiny corridors carved into the rock. I visited 5 tombs: those of Tutankhamun, Ramses III, Ramses IV, Ramses VI, and Merenptah. Unfortunately, the latter 4 were all almost the same age and were quite similar, but these later tombs seemed to be some of the most vividly colored, intricately decorated, and immaculately preserved. Merenptah's tomb is the deepest tomb in the valley, while that of Ramses IV requires an extra fee (still more worth it than Tutankhamun's) due to it housing some of the most famous wall and ceiling paintings such a the text of the Book of Caverns and scenes of the Books of Day and Night. If you can imagine the iconic images of golden figures of people against a dark blue background, you're probably thinking of these artworks. Tutankhamun's tomb is much smaller and simpler than the others, but it is very well preserved, and because of its size, only a few people are allowed to enter at a time, which generally makes for a more intimate experience. The wonders that made it so popular, however, are almost all in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, so definitely take the time to go there, too. The other 3 tombs were covered by the general ticket, which allows one to visit 3 open tombs of their choice. By the way, it is true that pictures are supposedly not allowed inside the tombs, and even our tour guide advocated against taking them. But when in Egypt, you will almost always be offered a deal to take pictures without even having to ask. And I say, take that chance! It's almost impossible to not try to sneak a shot of the most colorful scenes you'll ever see from one of Earth's greatest civilizations.

The rest of the day was quite the whirlwind that you'd expect for attempting to visit the most important sites on both banks. The next stop was Hatshepsut's Funerary Temple in Deir el Bahari, an impressive temple stretching 3 distinct levels up the desert cliffs. On the top level, you can find a lot of interesting little reliefs with some color intact, and the temple is overall very unique and distinct in its layout. After a brief photo stop by the Colossi of Memnon, we left the West Bank, having to the Ramesseum, Madinat Habu, and several other great monuments. It was a great shame, as I was especially looking forward to seeing Madinat Habu, since it is one of the best preserved ancient temples in Egypt, but the truth was that we barely had time to explore the East Bank at this point. After a quick lunch across the bustling street from Luxor Temple, we explored the famous temple. Between the 2 temples of the East Bank, Luxor seemed to be much less crowded than Karnak when we visited, though perhaps it was because it was early afternoon, sunny, and over 40 degrees Celsius. With that in mind, the experience in Luxor felt much more intimate. It's also smaller and less overwhelming, but it also felt like the architecture was more beautiful and graceful. That's not to say it's not impressive, though. Just looking at the facade with its obelisk and massive pylon amazes of the grandeur of Ancient Egypt. Inside, it feels like a courtyard for gods. It's in ruins, but still so perfect in condition, save for the inner chamber in the back that was vandalized and used as a kitchen by later inhabitants. Oh, and there's also the great scene of the mosque built on top of some of the temple remains. Luxor and Karnak were once connected by an avenue of sphinxes, which seems to be in the process of restoration today. Checking out the other end of this avenue in Karnak, it was crazy. Yes, crazy is the word I'll use to describe the experience in Karnak. It's overwhelming. The crowds, the heat, the ruins, everything. The hypostyle hall here wasn't the graceful courtyard of gods it felt like in Luxor, but a maze or forest. The columns are so thick and tall it's hard to even take pictures of them. The whole place felt like a mess of walls and columns and the occasional obelisk rising almost randomly among them. A lot of the temple structures seemed to be a bit more ruined than in Luxor, too. Karnak is a much larger complex, and I think it could take the better part of the day to explore it in depth. But alas, it came at the end of one exhausting but mindblowing day, so we spent an hour or so there, called it quits, and bought some ice cream.

Ancient Thebes is truly one of the premier destinations that everyone should go to at least once in their lives. I consider it to be an open-air museum on par with the likes of Rome and Istanbul. And it achieves that without even having a very appealing living cityscape. Its ruins are on par with the greatest Ancient Roman, Greek, Maya, Inca, or Khmer cities out there, while also being centuries or millennia older and every bit as advanced. I think the Egyptian authorities could've even divided the site into several WHS and each would still stand as an outstanding site of unique OUV in its own right. And yet, them forming this single site to represent the height of Ancient Egyptian civilization as one of the most advanced and influential cultures in world history makes for a single cohesive WHS of (dare I say) the greatest city in the ancient world. For me, that makes it one of the greatest WHS in the world, and perhaps, the greatest cultural WHS I've visited so far.