Visit the ancient Egyptian city of Luxor

Luxor is a city in south-central Egypt, located on the Nile River more than 670 kilometers south of Cairo. It is located on the ruins of Thebes, the capital of the middle kingdom and the new kingdom in ancient Egypt. It was called Thebes in ancient times and was the capital of Egypt in the era of the Middle Kingdom and the New Kingdom. Luxor owns Karnak Temple, Luxor Palace, Valley of Kings, Valley of Queens and the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut. Thebes site, the ancient capital of Egypt, is the concentration of Thebes cultural relics and is known as the "largest open-air museum" on the earth. Thebes, the ancient city, is a powerful witness to Egypt's high civilization. From 65438 to 0979, ancient Thebes and its cemeteries were listed as cultural heritage by UNESCO World Heritage Committee.

Luxor (Thebes) was founded in the 1 1 dynasty of China, with a history of more than 4,000 years. In the 18th dynasty of the new kingdom, Thebes reached its peak, and the city spanned the middle reaches of the Nile. It is said that Thebes was densely populated at that time, with thousands of buildings and 100 gates. Homer called it "the capital of hundreds of doors" in his epic, which is one of the oldest capitals in the world. Today Luxor is the largest open-air museum in the world, with the reputation of "Miyagi". The Nile runs through the city and divides it in two. Because the ancient Egyptians believed that human life rose in the east and set in the west like the sun, there were magnificent temples and vibrant residential areas on the east bank of the river, and tombs of pharaohs, queens and nobles on the west bank of the river. "City of the Living" and "City of the Dead" face each other across the river, forming an eternal cycle of the two worlds. The ancient Egyptians believed that the East symbolized life, while the West meant death.

Luxor is a tourist attraction with concentrated historical sites in Egypt. The ancient city of Thebes and its cemeteries include Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple, Valley of Kings, Valley of Queens, Deir el-Bahari Temple, etc.

Karnak Temple: Located 5 kilometers north of Luxor, Karnak Temple was built in the 17 dynasty more than 3,000 years ago. After several dynasties' repair and expansion, it has experienced continuous expansion. It is the most spectacular temple left by the ancient Egyptian empire and is famous for its huge scale. The large-scale Karnak Temple was built entirely of boulders. The temple gate is 38 meters high. Karnak Temple consists of many temples, including more than 20 large and small temples. Only the well-preserved part of the temple covers an area of more than 30 hectares, making it the largest temple group in the world today. There are 12 huge and magnificent tower doors in the temple. Entering the tower gate, the courtyard is connected layer by layer and pushed forward layer by layer. The main hall and etiquette hall are located at the back of the building complex. Between the second tower gate and the third tower gate is the famous "Column Hall", which was built around 1300 BC, built by seti i and completed by Ramses II. The main hall is102m long, 53m wide and covers an area of 5,000m2. There are 134 huge stone pillars in the main hall. The central pillar is 20.4 meters high and 3.4 meters in diameter. The stone pillars are engraved with hieroglyphs and painted reliefs, and the disk of the stigma is lotus-shaped or papyrus-shaped. There is also a big pool on one side of the temple, called the holy lake, which is said to be used by priests to bathe before offering sacrifices. There is a famous scarab stone carving on the holy lake. As the largest temple in Egypt, the Karnak Temple gives people a shocking feeling, not to mention the huge and heavy tower gate and the tall and straight statue. The most amazing thing is the obelisk of Queen Heckpusut, which is 30 meters high and weighs 320 tons. On the stone wall of the temple, you can see their glorious historical sites carved by the ancient Egyptians in hieroglyphics. There are also some famous obelisks and many statues of Pharaoh and Empress in the temple.

Luxor Temple: Luxor Temple is the temple of Mott, the wife of Thebes God Amon, which is second only to Karnak Temple. The temple is 262 meters long and 56 meters wide, and consists of a tower gate, a courtyard, a column hall and a shrine. Pagoda Gate is the main entrance to the temple. Six giant stone statues of Ramses II stand on both sides of the tower gate, of which two on both sides of the tower gate are as high as 14 meters. It has an amazing majestic momentum, and each pillar represents the majesty of Pharaoh. Being in it will make people temporarily forget the passage of time and think a lot. Most of the works here were completed by the 18th Pharaoh Amo Furniss III. Later, Ramses II built more gates and courtyards, and erected six statues of him at the gate. There are three existing ones. There used to be two obelisks at the entrance of the temple, and one of them now stands in Place de la Concorde in Paris, France.

From Luxor, take a boat or bus across the Nile to the other side, set foot on the land on the west bank of the Nile, and you will enter a valley with bare rocks and barren grass. The Valley of the Kings is located in the canyon. The Valley of the Kings was built in BC 1500-BC 1000, and it is the place where the tombs of emperors and dignitaries of the first 18 to the 20th dynasties of the New Kingdom are concentrated. There are 62 pharaohs buried here. Therefore, people call this valley "the Valley of the Kings".

In order to prevent grave robbery, Thutmose I built a cave tomb in the Valley of the Kings. However, the Valley of the Kings is destined to be turned into a paradise for grave robbers by history. These tombs are all dug along the mountain, with ups and downs, halls, walls and arched ceilings on the left and right. The walls are painted with colorful murals of figures, portraits of gods in various animal shapes, and scenes of ancient farming, hunting and happy singing and dancing in the court. Sixty-two tombs were excavated in the Valley of the Kings, including the tombs of famous pharaohs such as Thutmose I, Tuthmus III, Amenhotep II II, seti i II, Ramses II and Tutankhamun. These 62 pharaoh tombs include the first female pharaoh in Egyptian history, Hatshepsut. The largest of these tombs is seti i's tomb of 19 dynasty. From the entrance to the last tomb, the horizontal distance is 2 10/0m, and the vertical descending distance is 45m. Huge caves have been dug into underground palaces, and the walls and ceilings are covered with murals, which is unimaginable. The entrance to the tomb is often halfway up the mountain, and there is a small passage leading to the depths of the tomb. The patterns and hieroglyphs on the two walls of the passage are still very clear.

King's Valley: Crossing the lush Luxor Nile Valley and stepping on the land on the west bank of the Nile, you will enter the valley with bare rocks. The Valley of the Kings, built from 1500 BC to 1000 BC, was the place where the tombs of emperors and dignitaries of the first 18 to the 20th dynasties of the New Kingdom were concentrated. More than 60 pharaohs and members of the royal family are buried here. Therefore, people call this valley "the Valley of the Kings". In order to prevent grave robbery, Thutmose I built a cave tomb in the Valley of the Kings. However, the Valley of the Kings is destined to be turned into a paradise for grave robbers by history. These tombs are all dug along the mountain, with ups and downs, halls, walls and arched ceilings on the left and right. The walls are painted with colorful murals of figures, portraits of gods in various animal shapes, and scenes of ancient farming, hunting and happy singing and dancing in the court. Sixty-two tombs were excavated in the Valley of the Kings, including the tombs of famous pharaohs such as Thutmose I, Tuthmus III, Amenhotep II II, seti i II, Ramses II and Tutankhamun. The largest of these tombs is seti i's tomb of 19 dynasty. From the entrance to the last tomb, the horizontal distance is 2 10/0m, and the vertical descending distance is 45m. Huge caves have been dug into underground palaces, and the walls and ceilings are covered with murals, which is unimaginable. The entrance to the tomb is often halfway up the mountain, and there is a small passage leading to the depths of the tomb. The patterns and hieroglyphs on the two walls of the passage are still very clear.

1922165438+1October 4th, British archaeologist howard carter and others discovered Tutankhamun's tomb in the Valley of the Kings, which is the only ancient Egyptian tomb that has not been excavated. Tutankhamun was the Pharaoh of the first 18 dynasty in the new kingdom of ancient Egypt. Tutankhamun's mausoleum is small in scale and simple in form. Generally, it consists of tunnels, vestibules, coffin rooms, ear rooms and warehouses. In the room, the front hall is the largest, with an area of 8.5 4 meters. There are murals in the coffin room, mainly religious activities and burial scenes. There are seven coffins, four wooden coffins on the outside and three wooden coffins on the inside, namely sarcophagus, hardwood humanoid coffins and gold humanoid coffins. The innermost layer is a gold-faced portrait coffin with luxurious surface decoration and exquisite craftsmanship. Inside the coffin is the mummy of Pharaoh Tutankhamun, who wears a golden mask on his face. In addition to the coffin room, other rooms are covered with thousands of funerary objects such as furniture, statues, weapons, king's scepter and gilded chariots.

Most of the tombs of pharaohs in ancient Egypt were looted by ancient grave robbers, but Tutankhamun's mausoleum survived. This tomb, which has never been found by grave robbers, is surprisingly well preserved. Tutankhamun, a previously unknown young Pharaoh, became a household name for a time. The discovery of Tutankhamun's mausoleum shocked the world and was one of the greatest archaeological discoveries in the world in the 20th century.

There is no record of Tutankhamun's death in history. Although archaeologists found traces of injuries to his head when examining his mummy, he was partially cured before his death, which may be an accidental injury, but the possibility of assassination is not ruled out. Tutankhamun died before and after his reign, and there is almost no record of this young Pharaoh in history.

Tutankhamun ruled Egypt for nine years. He died mysteriously in 1323 BC at the age of 18. Tutankhamun's tomb is located at the foot of the cliff where Pharaoh was buried. There are indications that grave robbers sneaked into the ancient tomb, but they didn't take anything. Maybe the grave robbers ran away in fright. Later, the grave keeper sealed the tomb door again.

The cultural relics unearthed from Tutankhamun's tomb are unprecedented. It took 10 years to sort out these treasures and transfer them to the National Museum of Egypt in Cairo. But it didn't end, because more than 20 people who participated in the excavation of Tutankhamun's tomb died in a short time, and the cause of death was unknown. So people say this is the "Pharaoh's curse".

The saying that the Pharaoh's spell appeared has spread like wildfire since then. It is said that several inscriptions of Pharaoh's curse have been found in this ancient tomb, one of which reads: "Whoever disturbs the peace of this Pharaoh, the wing of death will fall on his head." It is unclear whether the spell of Pharaoh is the sustenance of Pharaoh's longing for peace or a ruthless warning to future grave robbers.

The mysterious tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun is like Pandora's box. After the opening, disasters occurred one after another. Some people think that the ancient Egyptians might use viruses to deal with grave robbers. It has also been suggested that the deadly thing is not a virus, but a mold. Because there is a lot of food in Pharaoh's funerary objects, it will rot over time and form a lot of mold in the grave. People who enter the grave will inevitably inhale, leading to lung infection and painful death. Some scientists believe that the Pharaoh's spell comes from the structure of the tomb, and the design of the tomb and the tomb can generate and gather some special magnetic fields or energy waves, thus causing death. The explanation of radiation is also under consideration. The ancient Egyptians had discovered the function of radioactive uranium and used it to protect the peace behind the Pharaoh.

In the Valley of the Kings, visitors need to make an appointment to enter the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun, and they can only enter by buying tickets. Other pharaohs' tombs don't need an appointment. You can freely choose three different tombs of Pharaoh at the entrance, and taking photos is forbidden in the tombs.

Queen's Valley: The Queen's Valley was built from BC 1300 to BC 1 100. Similar to the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Queens is an underground tomb, except that they are not the tombs of pharaohs, but the tombs of pharaohs' queens and royal family members in the 19 and 20th dynasties. The most special one is Nefertari, which was opened on 1995. Nefertitali, the wife of the19th Pharaoh Ramses II, is the most beautiful queen in the legendary history of Egypt.

Queen Hatshepsut Temple: The Queen Hatshepsut Temple is built on the hill and is divided into three floors, with exquisite reliefs, colonnades and murals. Queen Hatshepsut (reigned from 1479 to 1458 BC) was the daughter of the 18th Egyptian Pharaoh Thutmose I and the first female Pharaoh in Egypt. Because she and her husband Thutmose II only had one daughter, after Thutmose II died, the throne was left to the son of a princess. As the queen mother, she managed the affairs of the young Tuthmus III, and later became the first female Pharaoh in Egyptian history. After Hatshepsut's death, Thutmose III took over the political power. Out of hatred for the queen, he destroyed all the statues of the queen in the temple.

Sun Keqin writes articles and photographs.