Ancient Thebes and the Valley of the Kings
Luxor stands on the site of Thebes, capital of Egypt at the height of the New Kingdom. On the east bank, the Karnak temple complex, with its forest of columns in the Great Hypostyle Hall, is linked by an avenue of sphinxes to Luxor Temple, lit up at night. Across the Nile, the Valley of the Kings holds the painted tombs of the pharaohs, including Tutankhamun's, alongside the terraced Temple of Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon. A dawn hot-air balloon flight shows the west bank from above.