Editing Luxor (section)

== History ==
[[File:Luxor Temple R04.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.2|[[Luxor Temple]], seen from the east bank of the Nile]]
Luxor was the ancient city of [[Thebes, Egypt|Thebes]], the capital of [[Upper Egypt]] during the [[New Kingdom of Egypt|New Kingdom]], and the city of [[Amun]], later to become the god Amun-Ra. The city was regarded in the ancient Egyptian texts as ''wAs.t'' (approximate pronunciation: "Waset"), which meant <!--"the foremost" or // commented this out since I never heard this etymology -- the word is not even close to "xnti" meaning "foremost", and I looked it up in the dictionary, the only word close to ws.t is ws, meaning scepter --> "city of the sceptre", and later in [[Demotic (Egyptian)|Demotic Egyptian]] as ''ta jpt'' (conventionally pronounced as "tA ipt" and meaning "the shrine/temple", referring to the jpt-swt, the temple now known by its Arabic name [[Karnak]], meaning "fortified village"), which the ancient Greeks adapted as Thebai and the Romans after them as Thebae. Thebes was also known as "the city of the 100 gates", sometimes being called "southern Heliopolis" ('Iunu-shemaa' in Ancient Egyptian), to distinguish it from the city of [[Iunu]] or [[Heliopolis (Ancient Egypt)|Heliopolis]], the main place of worship for the god Ra in the north. It was also often referred to as ''niw.t,'' which simply means "city", and was one of only three cities in Egypt for which this noun was used (the other two were [[Memphis, Egypt|Memphis]] and Heliopolis); it was also called ''niw.t rst,'' "southern city", as the southernmost of them.

The importance of Luxor started as early as the [[11th Dynasty]], when the community grew into a thriving city.<ref name="Sacred">{{cite web |url=http://www.sacred-destinations.com/egypt/luxor-history.htm |title=History of Luxor (Thebes) |publisher=Sacred Destinations |access-date=December 1, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081013003321/http://www.sacred-destinations.com/egypt/luxor-history.htm |archive-date=October 13, 2008}}</ref> [[Montuhotep II]], who united Egypt after the troubles of the [[First Intermediate Period]], brought stability to the lands as the city grew in stature. The Pharaohs of the New Kingdom in their expeditions to [[Kingdom of Kush|Kush]], in today's northern [[Sudan]], and to the lands of [[Canaan]], [[Phoenicia]] and [[Syria]] saw the city accumulate great wealth and rose to prominence, even on a world scale.<ref name="Sacred"/> Thebes played a major role in expelling the invading forces of the [[Hyksos]] from Upper Egypt, and from the time of the [[18th Dynasty]] to the [[20th Dynasty]], the city had risen as the political, religious and military capital of Ancient Egypt.

The city attracted peoples such as the [[Babylonians]], the [[Mitanni]], the [[Hittites of Anatolia]] (modern-day Turkey), the [[Canaanites]] of [[Ugarit]], the [[Phoenicians]] of [[Byblos]] and [[Tyre, Lebanon|Tyre]], and the [[Minoans]] from the island of [[Crete]].<ref name="Sacred"/> A Hittite prince from Anatolia even came to marry with the widow of [[Tutankhamun]], [[Ankhesenamun]].<ref name="Sacred"/> The political and military importance of the city, however, faded during the [[Late Period of ancient Egypt|Late Period]], with Thebes being replaced as political capital by several cities in Northern Egypt, such as [[Bubastis]], [[Sais, Egypt|Sais]] and finally [[Alexandria]].

However, as the city of the god Amun-Ra, Thebes remained the religious capital of Egypt until the Greek period.<ref name="Sacred"/> The main god of the city was Amun, who was worshipped together with his wife, the Goddess [[Mut]], and their son [[Khonsu]], the God of the moon. With the rise of Thebes as the foremost city of Egypt, the local god Amun rose in importance as well and became linked to the sun god Ra, thus creating the new 'king of gods' Amun-Ra. His [[Precinct of Amun-Re|great temple]] at Karnak, just north of Thebes, was the most important temple of Egypt right until the end of antiquity.

Later, the city was attacked by [[Assyria]]n emperor [[Ashurbanipal]] who installed a new prince on the throne, [[Psamtik I]].<ref name="Sacred"/> The city of Thebes was in ruins and fell in significance. However, [[Alexander the Great]] did arrive at the temple of Amun, where the statue of the god was transferred from Karnak during the [[Opet Festival]], the great religious feast.<ref name="Sacred"/> Thebes remained a site of spirituality up to the Christian era, and attracted numerous Christian monks of the [[Roman Empire]] who established monasteries amidst several ancient monuments including the temple of [[Hatshepsut]], now called [[Deir el-Bahri]] ("the northern monastery").<ref name="Sacred"/>

Following the [[Muslim conquest of Egypt]], part of the Luxor Temple was converted from a church to a mosque. This mosque is currently known as the [[Abu Haggag Mosque]] today.

The 18th century saw an increase of Europeans visiting Luxor, with some publishing their travels and documenting its surroundings, such as [[Claude Sicard]], [[Granger (Tourtechot)|Granger]], [[Frederick Louis Norden]], [[Richard Pococke]], [[Vivant Denon]] and others. By the 20th century, Luxor had become a major tourist destination.

=== Archaeology ===
[[File:Thèbes. Plan général de la portion de la Vallée du Nil qui comprend les ruines (NYPL b14212718-1267931).jpg|thumb|The area in 1809, from the ''[[Description de l'Égypte]]''.]]
In April 2018, the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities announced the discovery of the shrine of god [[Osiris]]: Ptah Neb, dating back to the 25th dynasty in the [[Karnak|Temple of Karnak]]. According to archaeologist Essam Nagy, the material remains from the area contained clay pots, the lower part of a sitting statue and part of a stone panel showing an offering table filled with a sheep and a goose which were the symbols of the god Amun.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-04-22 |title=Archaeologists find bust of Roman emperor in Egypt dig in Aswan |url=https://www.arabnews.com/node/1289571/art-culture |access-date=2021-01-16 |website=Arab News |language=en |archive-date=May 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507020030/https://www.arabnews.com/node/1289571/art-culture |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=DPA |first=Daily Sabah with |date=2018-04-22 |title=Archeologists find Roman emperor bust, ancient shrine in Egypt |url=https://www.dailysabah.com/history/2018/04/22/archeologists-find-roman-emperor-bust-ancient-shrine-in-egypt |access-date=2021-01-16 |website=Daily Sabah |language=en |archive-date=November 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122081648/https://www.dailysabah.com/history/2018/04/22/archeologists-find-roman-emperor-bust-ancient-shrine-in-egypt |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-04-22 |title=Shrine to Osiris and bust of Roman emperor found in Egypt |url=http://www.digitaljournal.com/tech-and-science/science/shrine-to-osiris-and-bust-of-Roman-emperor-found-in-egypt/article/520449 |access-date=2021-01-16 |website=www.digitaljournal.com |archive-date=January 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122041038/http://www.digitaljournal.com/tech-and-science/science/shrine-to-osiris-and-bust-of-roman-emperor-found-in-egypt/article/520449 |url-status=live }}</ref>

On the same day in November 2018, two different discoveries were announced. One was by the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities that had found a 13th-century tomb on the West Bank belonging to Thaw-Irkhet-If, the overseer of the mummification shrine at the temple of [[Mut]], and his wife.<ref name="abcnews.go.com">{{cite web |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/13th-century-priests-tomb-discovered-egypts-luxor/story?id=59418449 |title=13th century priest's tomb discovered in Egypt's Luxor |website=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |access-date=April 21, 2019 |archive-date=November 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20181126195539/https://abcnews.go.com/International/13th-century-priests-tomb-discovered-egypts-luxor/story?id=59418449 |url-status=live }}</ref> Five months of excavation work until this point had revealed colorful scenes of the family and 1,000 funerary statues or [[ushabti]].<ref name="abcnews.go.com"/> The other discovery was of 1000 [[ushabti]] and two sarcophagi each containing a mummy in the [[TT33 (Tomb)|TT33]] complex by a joint team from the IFAO (French Institute of Oriental Archaeology, Cairo, Egypt) and the [[University of Strasbourg]].<ref name="abcnews.go.com"/><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-46329051 |title=Ancient Egyptian tomb unveiled |work=BBC News |date=November 24, 2018 |access-date=January 31, 2021 |archive-date=December 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211208210831/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-46329051 |url-status=live }}</ref> One of the sarcophagi was opened in private by Egyptian antiquities officials, while the other, of a female [[Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt|18th Dynasty]] woman named Thuya, was opened in front of international media.<ref name="abcnews.go.com"/><ref>{{Cite news |date=2018-11-24 |title=Ancient Egyptian tomb unveiled |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-46329051 |access-date=2021-01-31 |archive-date=December 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211208210831/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-46329051 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Ancient tomb unveiled in Egypt |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/397771-ancient-tomb-unveiled-in-egypt |access-date=2021-01-31 |website=www.thenews.com.pk |language=en |archive-date=February 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205072109/https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/397771-ancient-tomb-unveiled-in-egypt |url-status=live }}</ref>

In October 2019, Egyptian archaeologists headed by [[Zahi Hawass]] revealed an ancient "industrial area" used to manufacture decorative artefacts, furniture and pottery for royal tombs. The site contained a big kiln to fire ceramics and 30 ateliers. According to Zahi Hawass, each atelier had a different aim – some of them were used to make pottery, others used to produce gold artefacts and others still to churn out furniture. About 75 meters below the valley, several items believed to have adorned wooden royal coffins, such as inlaid beads, silver rings and gold foil were unearthed. Some artefacts depicted the wings of deity [[Horus]].<ref>{{Cite web |first1=Julie |last1=Zaugg |first2=Nourhan |last2=Moustafa |title=Egyptian archeologists uncover ancient 'industrial area' filled with royal artifacts |url=https://www.cnn.com/style/article/egypt-archeology-valley-kings-intl-hnk-scli/index.html |access-date=2020-09-17 |website=CNN |date=October 11, 2019 |language=en |archive-date=November 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130031021/https://www.cnn.com/style/article/egypt-archeology-valley-kings-intl-hnk-scli/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title="Egyptian archeologists uncover ancient 'industrial area' filled with royal artifacts" – CNN – infodecay |url=https://infodecay.com/egyptian-archeologists-uncover-ancient-industrial-area-filled-with-royal-artifacts-cnn/ |access-date=2020-09-17 |language=en-US |archive-date=October 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016180658/https://infodecay.com/egyptian-archeologists-uncover-ancient-industrial-area-filled-with-royal-artifacts-cnn/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In October 2019, the Egyptian archaeological mission unearthed thirty well-preserved wooden [[coffin]]s (3,000 years old) in front of the [[Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut]] in [[El-Assasif]] Cemetery. The coffins contained mummies of twenty-three adult males, five adult females and two children, who are believed to be from the middle class. According to Hawass, mummies were decorated with mixed carvings and designs, including scenes from [[Ancient Egyptian deities|Egyptian gods]], [[hieroglyph]]s, and the [[Book of the Dead]], a series of spells that allowed the soul to navigate in the [[afterlife]]. Some of the coffins had the names of the dead engraved on them.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Alaa Elassar |title=Egypt unveils discovery of 30 ancient coffins with mummies inside |url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/19/middleeast/egypt-discovers-coffins-mummies-trnd/index.html |access-date=2020-09-17 |website=CNN |date=October 20, 2019 |archive-date=November 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211129171703/https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/19/middleeast/egypt-discovers-coffins-mummies-trnd/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2019-10-16 |title=Egypt archaeologists find 20 ancient coffins near Luxor |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-50068575 |access-date=2020-09-17 |archive-date=January 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220101223925/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-50068575 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |vauthors=[[Reuters]]|date=2019-10-19 |title=Archaeologists discover 30 ancient coffins in Luxor |url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/oct/19/archaeologists-discover-30-ancient-coffins-with-mummies-in-luxor |access-date=2020-09-17 |website=the Guardian |language=en |archive-date=March 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210323162800/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/oct/19/archaeologists-discover-30-ancient-coffins-with-mummies-in-luxor |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Beachum |first=Lateshia |title=Archaeologists discover more than 20 sealed coffins just as the ancient Egyptians left them |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2019/10/16/archaeologists-discover-more-than-sealed-coffins-just-ancient-egyptians-left-them/ |access-date=2020-09-17 |issn=0190-8286 |archive-date=September 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210929064751/https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2019/10/16/archaeologists-discover-more-than-sealed-coffins-just-ancient-egyptians-left-them/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 8 April 2021, Egyptian archaeologists led by Zahi Hawass found [[Aten (city)|Aten]], a 3,400-year-old "lost golden city" near Luxor. It is the largest known city from Ancient Egypt to be unearthed to date. The site was said by [[Betsy Bryan]], professor of Egyptology at Johns Hopkins University to be "the second most important archaeological discovery since [[Tomb of Tutankhamun|the tomb of Tutankhamun]]".<ref name="nbcnews.com">{{Cite news |date=2021-10-04 |title=Inside Egypt's 3,000-year-old 'lost golden city' |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/inside-egypt-s-3-000-year-old-lost-golden-city-n1263585 |access-date=April 10, 2021 |archive-date=April 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410233306/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/inside-egypt-s-3-000-year-old-lost-golden-city-n1263585 |url-status=live }}</ref> The site is celebrated by the unearthing crew for showing a glimpse into the ordinary lives of living ancient Egyptians whereas past archaeological discoveries were from tombs and other burial sites. Many artefacts are found alongside the buildings such as pottery dated back to the reign of Amenhotep III, rings and everyday working tools. The site is not completely unearthed as of the 10th of April 2021.<ref name="nbcnews.com"/>