Luxor is situated in Upper Egypt, in the province of Qena. It was the ancient city of Thebes - the capital of Ancient Egypt. The early Arab travelers, who admired Luxor for the numerous monuments and ruins scattered around the city, gave it its name. In Arabic Luxor means "the palaces".

Luxor has often been described as the world's greatest open air museum, being home to an unparalleled number of monuments, amongst which the most famous are the Luxor and Karnak Temples.  It is made up of three different areas; the City of Luxor on the East side of the Nile, the town of Karnak just north of Luxor and Thebes, which is on the west side of the Nile across from Luxor.

To say that the Luxor area is a major tourist attraction would be an understatement.  Even in ancient times, during the late Dynasties of the Greek and Roman periods, the area attracted visitors and has been doing so ever since.

There is an abundance of sightseeing in Luxor, but if you only do one thing it should be to see "The Sound & Light Show", held at Karnak Temple.