Tourism in Luxor

A guide and a tourist at Hatshepsut's temple outside Luxor. Hatshepsut was the longest-reigning of Egypt's female pharaohs (circa 1479-58 BC). In the tomb of Ramses IV (who reigned circa 1156-50 BC) in the Valley of the Kings, near Luxor. 


(PHOTOS BY GORAN TOMASEVIC/REUTERS

LUXOR, Egypt - The tomb of the boy pharaoh Tutankhamun lies on the west bank of the Nile River. So do a host of other awe-inspiring remains of ancient Egypt, sights that help draw as many as 2 million visitors a year to the area.

Most tourists, though, stay on the more developed east side, in Luxor, an area also not without historic interest. It's where one finds the magnificent Luxor Temple, with its avenue of sphinxes, and the enormous complex of obelisks and ruins known 
 as Karnak


.

But as more of a tourist haven it's also where one finds McDonald's and the legions of taxi drivers, souvenirs hawkers, and street peddlers who inspired one guidebook to declare Luxor the "hassle capital" of Egypt.

That's why visitors seeking a more authentic experience tend to gravitate toward the west bank where one particularly good option for accommodations can be found in the sleepy village of Al Gezira.

Getting there is simple: Take the ferry, which leaves from the center of Luxor, across from the ruins of Luxor Temple. The ride takes three or four minutes and costs one Egyptian pound, or about half a dollar.

The village, which lies on the road to the Valley of the Kings and other sites, is home to Flats in Luxor, where you can stay in a clean three-bedroom apartment overlooking the green fields of the Nile valley, with the massive temple of Queen Hatshepsut visible in the distance.

Run by British expatriate Jane Akshar and her Egyptian husband, Mahmoud Jahlan, Flats in Luxor offers 21 air-conditioned apartments of various sizes at rates from around $50 a night. With plenty of room for a family, a quiet location, and a small pool, the apartments provide a good base for exploring the area's antiquities, as well as a chance to get a feel for village life.

One big draw of Flats in Luxor is Akshar herself, an enthusiastic and knowledgeable amateur Egyptologist and licensed guide, who can show visitors a side of Luxor's antiquities usually missed by the large tours.

At the nearby Hatshepsut's temple, for example - a spectacular edifice at the foot of the Theban hills built by the queen who ruled Egypt as a pharaoh some 1,500 years before Cleopatra - busloads of tourists streamed up the imposing main ramp. Akshar, however, shepherded her charges around to the colonnaded porticos at the side. There, with nary a tourist in sight, she took them on a leisurely exploration of a series of wonderfully-realistic frescoes showing the queen in the marshes surrounded by wildlife.

While Akshar is happy to guide guests through the sites for their entire stay, she's often booked. But the archeological sites in the area are easy to visit on one's own, with the help of a good guidebook. Akshar is happy to make suggestions about what to see and can help arrange transportation to various

Egyptian relics - The Curse of the Pharaohs - the secret of mummification - Magic at the Pharaohs - Luxor - Sphinx - Pyramids - The Temple of Karnak - The Temple of Abu Simbel - Temple of Ramses II - Akhenaten - Tuthmosis III - Tutankhamun - Pharaoh - Nefertiti - Cleopatra - Nefertari - Hatshepsut -