Early in the morning, after your breakfast in your Luxor accommodation, we start our Luxor day tour to the Dendera Temple Complex and Abydos Temple to our first sightseeing spot, the
Dendera Temple Complex
One of the most interesting Egypt attractions is around 55 kilometres away from the Upper Egyptian city
Qena.
Enjoy the ride to the
Dendera Temple Complex, the Temple of the
goddess Hathor, which differs in its construction from all other temples in
Egypt.
The Temple was built from north to south due to its location on the arch of the
Nile River. Other temples were built from east to west. It was not until the 19th century that the
Dendera Temple Complex was freed from the masses of sand under which it was hidden. A well- reserved temple with beautiful frescoes came to light. One of the most famous sights in the
Dendera Temple Complex you will discover on our
Luxor day tour is the world-famous
Dendera zodiac
which is located on the dome of a chapel in the
Dendera Temple complex. Here it becomes clear that the high priests were already familiar with astrology. The original
Dendera Zodiac, dedicated to
Osiris, is in the
Louvre Museum in Paris since 1821.
The circular form of the
Dendera Zodiac signs is unique in the Egyptian representation of astrology. Others that where discovered had a rectangular shape. In the
Dendera Zodiac, you will not just discover images based on the
Greco Roman model but also Egyptian figures are presented on the impressive plate.
Surely impressed by the beautifully preserved wall drawings of the
Hathor Temple in
Dendera, we make our way to the next temple on our
Luxor day tour, the
Abydos Temple
Our next destination, the
Abydos Temple, also called
Abydos Temple Ramses II, is located near
Souhag in today's city of El Bayana, about 160 km away from
Luxor.
Abydos Temple Ramses II served coronations, festivals and processions. Its masonry, which has been restored to the original floor plan, gives a good overview of the former original condition of the
temple complex. Seti I built the
Abydos Temple as a mortuary temple for his father
Ramses I. Ramses II has finally completed the construction of the
temple complex.
With its construction over several terraces, you can discover a similarity to the construction of the
Hatshepsut temple. The main sanctuary of
god Osiris is located on the highest platform of the
Abydos Temple. After taking some time to visit the world-famous
Abydos king list, we leave
Abydos behind and make our way back to your accommodation in
Luxor.