Luxor/East Bank



The East Bank of Luxor is the central part of Luxor township, centred on the twin foci of the Temple of Luxor and the Temple of Karnak.

Understand
Unlike the West Bank, which was always the main area for cemeteries and mortuary temples, the East Bank represented the main settlement of the living throughout the millennia - a role that has hardly changed. The vast majority of hotels and tourist facilities are in the East Bank.

The layout of Luxor town is fairly straightforward: arranged about the temples of Karnak and Luxor, 3 km (1.9 miles, apart in the north and south of the city respectively) are four main roads with a network of many small streets between them:


 * the Corniche el-Nil (usually just referred to as 'the Corniche', running along the east bank of the Nile and connecting most of the major attractions
 * Sharia al-Mahatta, linking the railway station with the area around Luxor Temple
 * Sharia Karnak, running inland parallel to the Nile and the Corniche
 * Sharia Televizyon, in the southern part of the town, an area of inexpensive accommodation

Completed major works include widening the main road along the corniche allowing the coaches from the Red Sea resorts to quickly access Karnak temple & the Valley of the Kings.

Get in
The East Bank of Luxor represents the central part of Luxor as a locality, the part of the town that the vast majority of tourists will first arrive in, whether by land, river or air, and where many will find accommodation. Arrive in Luxor, you've essentially got to the East Bank.

Get around
See main Get around section of the Luxor article.

The ferry stop for trips to the West Bank is in front of the Winter Palace hotel.

Karnak
Karnak Temple Complex comprises a vast mix of decayed temples, chapels, pylons, and other buildings. Its construction began during the reign of Senusret I in the Middle Kingdom and continued into the Ptolemaic period, although most of the extant buildings date from the New Kingdom.

Complex consists of four main parts: the Precinct of Amun-Re, the Precinct of Mut, the Precinct of Montu, and the dismantled Temple of Amenhotep IV, of which only the Precinct of Amun-Re and the Precinct of Mut are open to the general public. The term Karnak often is understood as being the Precinct of Amun-Ra only, because this is the only part most visitors see. There are also a few smaller temples and sanctuaries connecting the Precinct of Mut, the Precinct of Amun-Re, and the Luxor Temple.



Do

 * Pay a visit at the Brooke Hospital for Animals - and leave a donation!
 * Visit ACE - Animal Care Egypt - it has new premises, and operates free for Egyptians. Donations are always accepted - but consider buying their clothing range or books, as a charity, they totally rely on such things.
 * Pay a repeat visit to Luxor Temple at night - atmospherically lit, it has a completely different mood to that found in the daytime and is usually more intimate than with fewer visitors.
 * Watch the sun go down over the Nile: preferably from the terrace of the Old Winter Palace hotel, with a drink in your hand. Listen to cacophony from thousands of small birds that roost in the trees lining the Corniche.

Drink
There is an excellent sugarcane drink place located near the train station, on the main road past the rotary. LE6 for a cold, fresh bottle of sugarcane drink (1.5 l).

However, if you prefer a freshly made sugar cane drink, go to one of the many fruit juice shops. To prevent being cheated, as everywhere else, act cool, and make sure you have small coins available.

Splurge
Various large chains like Hilton, Sheraton, Novotel and Steigenberger also have high-end hotels in Luxor.



Phone
Luxor town has 4 telephone offices, allowing people to avoid the often hefty charges levied by hotels and mobile carriers for international phone calls.

The main telephone office is on Sharia Karnak, adjacent to the souqs and almost opposite the Emilio Hotel. It is open 24 hours a day. Another, smaller branch can be found below the grand sweeping entrance to the Old Winter Palace Hotel on the Corniche (open 8AM-8PM); whilst a third telephone office exists at the railway station (open 8AM-8PM) and the fourth telephone office is in Sheraton street, next DHL office.

If you wish to use your cell phone in Luxor, it is advisable to visit the Vodafone shop at the bottom of Television Street. You can buy a Holiday Sim Card, which costs LE25, and you will avoid any roaming charges, even on international calls. Just top up the card as necessary. If your phone is 'locked' by your phone company, they will advise where you can get it unlocked for a fee of between LE30-50.

Or buy a local SIM card.

Post
If you want to buy stamps, you need small change because no one will sell you if you don't have.