Qué hacer en Luxor, Egypt

1. Karnak Temple

The ancient Egyptians built such a colossal marvel that the world still admires it. Stroll among the 134 colossal columns, where the morning light and the stone shine so intensely that time is forgotten.

Datos rápidos: Construction lasting nearly two thousand years produced a single sanctuary complex shaped by more than thirty pharaohs. In the hypostyle hall, 134 colossal stone columns stand, the largest 23 meters tall and nearly 15 meters in circumference.

Destacados: The main hall is large enough that Rome's St. Peter's Basilica and Paris's Notre-Dame could both fit inside at the same time. Morning sunlight streaming through the tall column openings colors the surface of the 23-meter columns deep orange-red, as if the stone itself were alive.

2. Valley of the Kings

Datos rápidos: Tombs of more than 60 pharaohs and royal figures are carved into the bare cliffs, but only Tutankhamun's tomb was found completely intact, with more than 5,000 treasures inside. The largest complex, KV5, opens into over 120 chambers, and researchers believe further tombs may still lie hidden beneath the valley.

3. Ramesseum

The fallen 19-meter giant colossus embodies the pharaoh's titanic might, and it even inspired Shelley. The fallen reliefs of the pylon and the dawn light awaken the ancient Egypt.

Datos rápidos: Shelley's English sonnet "Ozymandias" was inspired by the giant colossus lying fallen on the courtyard floor, which depicted Ramses II. The colossus was once about 19 meters tall and nearly 1,000 tons, with the head alone measuring 2.5 meters.

Destacados: The colossus's head, about 2.5 meters tall and 7 tons, still lies fallen on the ground, and Shelley used this head as the muse for his sonnet. The astronomical ceiling ornament depicts the sky goddess Nut, and after almost 3,000 years it remains completely intact.