Luxor, Egypt, day one. April 2024

We are having such an abysmal summer that revisiting the blindingly sunny days in Egypt a mere three months ago feels more like a lifetime away.

If Cairo felt magical, Luxor was so steeped in history, so rich that it was like time travelling. Once again it was even better than I had imagined and once more I left feeling I must go back and see it all again, see much more. I wonder how long it would take to see everything!

Our guide picked us up early, the days get really hot, even in April and it’s best to start sightseeing early, also, there are less crowds. First stop the mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut, who was the wife of Pharaoh Thutmose II, and upon his death ruled for twenty years as regent for her stepson, she wore male regalia and under her Egypt had a very prosperous and peaceful time. She must have been one fierce woman.

The temple is huge and the setting is magnificent, and what is most incredible is that at the time it was built the river Nile flowed nearby, and astronomically it has the same alignment as the famous temple at Abu Simbel, in the South. It is built in three giant terraces, and the wall carvings detail and document various historical events about Hatshepsut’s achievements like her expedition in the lands of the punt and her religious devotion to the god Amun.

I don’t know about you, but the limited colour palette of the stone and the pale, dusty blue sky, is magical and makes the colour of the decoration even more extraordinary. The whole place must have shone like a jewel.

Next up The Valley of the Kings. It lies on the West Bank of the Nile and for five hundred years it was the burial place of the Pharaohs of the New Kingdom (1539-1075 B.C.), such as Tutankhamun, Seti I, and Ramses II, as well as queens, high priests, and other elites of the 18th, 19th, and 20th dynasties.

From National Geographic: Tomb robbers, treasure hunters, and archaeologists have been combing the Valley of the Kings for centuries—yet it continues to yield surprises. Many thought that the 62 tombs discovered before 1922 represented all that would be found in the valley—until Howard Carter discovered the resting place of a boy king called Tutankhamun. In 2005, a team led by archaeologist Otto Schaden discovered the valley’s first unknown tomb since Tutankhamun’s. The site, dubbed KV 63, was found only about 50 feet (15 meters) from the walls of Tut’s resting place. KV 63 had no mummy but housed sarcophagi, pottery, linens, flowers, and other materials. Some believe it heralds the presence of another as yet undiscovered tomb.

The above is just one example of how incredible these tombs are. All walls and ceilings are decorated with life stories and well wishes, the hieroglyphs are fascinating and are screaming to be read.

I should have studied Egyptology. Seriously. Next life, for sure.

We arrived back to our splendid hotel just in time for a late lunch and a chilling afternoon by the pool. Bliss.

We stayed at the Al Moudira Hotel, a privately owned hotel in the countryside, away from the noise of Luxor city and a true desert oasis. It is built to resemble a North African villa, pink walls, a series of small courtyard and individually decorated rooms and suites. Ours had a fountain in the middle! Hand painted walls, handmade artefacts, locally sourced soft furnishing and vintage furniture. I wouldn’t have changed a thing.