At Flats in Luxor we are very proud of our connections with the Egyptology digs or missions. It is all my fault for loving Egyptology so much.

KV63

Back in 2006 Mahmoud heard a rumour that a new tomb had been found in the valley of kings so I set off to the valley early one morning and got to be part of press corp. After the event some of my photos were used on the KV-63 website and I developed a close relationship with Otto Schaden and the rest of the team, they put a link up to my website on the KV63 website.

Tomb of Meena

Under the director Melinda Hartwig this team stayed at our flats during their work in the tomb. It was fascinating seeing them at work, lots of high tech gear.

Theban Mapping Project

We were approached by Kent Weeks looking for a home for the TMP offices and a new library he is setting up in Luxor. This will be a great facility for the people of Luxor.

South Assasif Project

Having had individual members of the team staying here during the dig season we are now the official west bank accommodation for their conference in October 2012.

We are always keen to work with digs supplying accommodation and can provide competitive prices for both individual  members and entire teams, meals and free WiFi

Flats in Luxor is delighted to announce that they are now the official Luxor home of the Theban Mapping Project, under director Kent Weeks. The new facility will comprise accommodation for the offices of TMP as well as a public reading library A long-held dream of Kent’s has been to provide guides, tourists, students, foreigners and local Egyptians with a library where they can learn more about Egypt and Egyptology, Egypt’s natural history and its modern people, read English and Arabic novels, and generally enjoy books. No such facility has existed in Luxor–until now. Flats in Luxor had the ideal flat that could be converted to perform this function, in the heart of the west bank.

Kent Weeks said ‘I often get Egyptians on my team who are keen to learn more and want books. This library will be my gift to them, opening the world of literature and knowledge.”

Jane Akshar said “We are privileged to be able to provide a home for this wonderful educational facility and to Theban Mapping Project. We look forward to a long and happy association.

Theban Mapping Project http://www.thebanmappingproject.com
Since its inception in 1978, the Theban Mapping Project (TMP, now based at the American University in Cairo) has been working to prepare a comprehensive archaeological database of Thebes. With its thousands of tombs and temples, Thebes is one of the world’s most important archaeological zones. Sadly, however, it has not fared well over the years. Treasure-hunters and curio-seekers plundered it in the past; pollution, rising ground water, and mass-tourism threaten it in the present. Even early archaeologists destroyed valuable information in their search for museum-quality pieces.

Today, however, we realize that the monuments of Thebes are a finite resource. If we fail to protect and monitor them, they will vanish, and we and our descendants will all be the poorer. The TMP believes that the first and most essential step in preserving this heritage is a detailed map and database of every archaeological, geological, and ethnographic feature in Thebes. Only when these are available can sensible plans be made for tourism, conservation, and further study.

During the last decade, the TMP has concentrated on the Valley of the Kings. Modern surveying techniques were used to measure its tombs. From the data collected, the TMP has prepared 3-D computer models of the tombs. And of course, the TMP is continuing its excavation of KV 5. For the TMP staff, sharing their work with the interested public is just as important as what they do in the field. This has been done through a series of publications and this growing and award winning website.

Flats in Luxor http://www.flatsinluxor.co.uk
Established in 2003 by Jane Akshar and Mahmoud Jahlan, providing quality accommodation to independent travellers and long stay visitors to Luxor. Now with 2 swimming pools, a restaurant, 27 apartments and 5 villas, it has featured in Sunday Times, Boston Globe, Lonely Planet and A Place in the Sun.

Lots of congratulations to Captain Ali of Cataract motorboat on the birth of his daughter Amina, sister to Mansour

Some friends of ours took this great video on a trip to Taba.

You could actually do this on a day trip to Hurghada from Luxor. The sea is picture postcard blue, when we went we hired a boat for scuba and fishing. I was made up that I caught a fish.

You can take proper diving courses if you stay there longer, the Red Sea is a beautiful part of Egypt and just a short drive from Luxor.

Really excited about this new book by Kees van der Spek about Qurna village. Regularly readers will remember the controversy surrounding the removal of the villagers from the hillside. This book tells their story. It will be available on Amazon US and AUC in Cairo.

Maps, maps, maps there are so many both ancient and modern. If you require more information than the information below then I suggest that you get the Atlas of Ancient Egypt from Baines and Malik

1) Here is a link to a great Ancient Egyptian Map

2) [From Wikipedia]; Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. It was part of a larger complex of civilizations, the Nile Valley Civilizations, of which regions south of Egypt (in today’s Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia, and Ethiopia) are a part.

Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh, and it developed over the next three millennia. Its history occurred in a series of stable Kingdoms, separated by periods of relative instability known as Intermediate Periods.

Ancient Egypt reached its pinnacle during the New Kingdom, after which it entered a period of slow decline. Egypt was conquered by a succession of foreign powers in this late period. The rule of the pharaohs officially ended in 31 BC when Egypt fell to the Roman Empire and became a Roman province.

The success of ancient Egyptian civilization stemmed partly from its ability to adapt to the conditions of the Nile River Valley. The predictable flooding and controlled irrigation of the fertile valley produced surplus crops, which fueled social development and culture.

With resources to spare, the administration sponsored mineral exploitation of the valley and surrounding desert regions, the early development of an independent writing system, the organization of collective construction and agricultural projects, trade with surrounding regions, and a military intended to defeat foreign enemies and assert Egyptian dominance.

Motivating and organizing these activities was a bureaucracy of elite scribes, religious leaders, and administrators under the control of a pharaoh who ensured the cooperation and unity of the Egyptian people in the context of an elaborate system of religious beliefs.

The many achievements of the ancient Egyptians include the quarrying, surveying and construction techniques that facilitated the building of monumental pyramids, temples, and obelisks; a system of mathematics, a practical and effective system of medicine, irrigation systems and agricultural production techniques, the first known ships,Egyptian faience and glass technology, new forms of literature, and the earliest known peace treaty.

Egypt left a lasting legacy. Its art and architecture were widely copied, and its antiquities carried off to far corners of the world. Its monumental ruins have inspired the imaginations of travellers and writers for centuries. A newfound respect for antiquities and excavations in the early modern period led to the scientific investigation of Egyptian civilization and a greater appreciation of its cultural legacy, for Egypt and the world.

Excited to find out more about visiting these locations…find out more about our private guided sightseeing trips to Ancient Egypt sites.

4)
Ancient Egypt Geography Map – Click to Enlarge

Bah Humbug,  Scrooge had a point

Christmas not for you, want to ignore the festive season, you can. Although we cater for Christmas in Luxor we understand that not everyone wants to join in. We have had people recovering from family problems who would rather not have Christmas shoved down their throats. No Christmas dinner thank you, no Merry Christmas, no decorations. They want to get away from Christmas. Of course non Christians (Muslims, Sikhs and Buddhists) don’t really want to celebrate this very Western festival. This is not a problem at Flats in Luxor. Our Christmas parties are totally optional and our Nubian Eco Village is a peaceful tranquil family free zone. In fact it is a totally touristic event in Luxor as the Egyptian Christians do not celebrate Christmas on 2th December but 6^th January so apart from tourists nobody in Luxor is celebrating anything. Which means you can just have a normal holiday and ignore Christmas totally.

Chronological Luxor
It occurred to me that some visitors to Luxor would like to view things from a particular period or king so I divided up every site in Luxor chronologically. Not everything is open but most are. If you want more details of a site try my Hidden Luxor e-book and videos.

 Pre Dynastic
o Naqqada
1st intermediate period
o Ankhtifi
Middle Kingdom
o Deir el Bahri Nebhepetra-Montuhotep
o Open Air Museum Senusret
    White Chapel
    Lintels
o Middle Kingdom Courtyard
2nd Intermediate Period
o Pyramids Intef 17th dynasty Dra Abu Naga
o Kamose Stele Luxor Museum
New Kingdom
• Ahmose
o Luxor Museum mummy
• Amenhotep I (Ahmose Nefertari)
o Founder workman’s village Deir el Medina
• Tuthmosis I
o Karnak obelisks
• Tuthmosis II
o Karnak enclosure wall middle kingdom court
o 8th pylon
o Deir el Bahri
• Hatshepsut
o Red Chapel
o Obelisks
o Deir el Bahri
o Karnak
• Tuthmosis III
o Mortuary Temple
o Deir el Bahri
o Medinet Habu
o Karnak
o Obelisks
o Tomb
o Rekhmire
o Benji
• Amenhotep II chapel Open Air museum
o Sennefer
o Userhet 56
• Tuthmosis IV
o Karnak
o Nakht
o Meena
• Amenhotep III
o Luxor temple
o Colossus of Memnon
o Malkata
o Tomb west valley
o Ramose, Khaemhet
o Kheruef
o Mut temple
• Amenhotep IV/Akhenaton
o Luxor Museum
o Open Air Museum
o Various block yards
o Damage
• Tutankhamen
o Luxor Temple
o Karnak
o Tomb
• Ay
o Tomb
• Horemheb
o Tomb
o Karnak
o Roy
• Ramses I
o Tomb
o Mummy in Luxor museum
• Seti I
o Tomb
o Karnak
o Temple
o Pashedu
o Abydos
• Ramses II
o Luxor temple
o Karnak
o Ramasseum
o Tomb
o Kv5
o Over carving Deir el Bahri, Medinet Habu, Seti I temple
o Sennedjem
o Userhet 51
o Khonsu
o Nefersekheru
o Neferronpet
• Merenptah
o Tomb
o Temple
o Shu Roy
• Seti II – tomb
• Amenesses -tomb
• Siptah – tomb
• Tawsert/Sethnakht
o Tomb and remnants of mortuary temple
• Ramses III
o Tomb
o Valley of Queens tombs
o Medinet Habu
o Karnak
• Ramses IV
o Tomb
o Ramses IV Anherkhau
• Ramses V-X tombs
3rd Intermediate Period
o Sheshonk Karnak ( II Kings)
 Late Period
o Assasif Tomb Ankhhor
o Pabasa
o Medinet Habu
o Karnak
30th Dynasty – Nectanebo Sphinx Alley
 Ptolemaic
o Deir el Medina temple
o Karnak
 Ptah temple
 Khonsu temple
o Medinet Habu
o Tod Temple
Roman
o Luxor Temple
o Front of Karnak
 Islamic
o Luxor Temple Mosque
Modern Times
o Carter House
Hidden Luxor www.hiddenluxor.com www.holidaysinluxor.net
o Travel to and around Luxor Free Video
o Site Practicalities Free Video
o Getting About in Luxor
o E-book
o Videos
o Holiday

HIDDEN LUXOR: LOCAL EGYPTOLOGIST REVEALS EGYPT’S TOURIST GEMS

The Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut, Karnak Temple … exciting names that most people will know are in Egypt but few would be able to name another site in the town of Luxor where they are found. A lady determined to change all that is Jane Akshar who was born in Sussex and studies Egyptology at Manchester University. Jane has now been living in Luxor for 8 years.

“Luxor is so often offered as a day trip or at best three days and yet there is so much here that people just don’t get a chance to see. There are 23 ticketed sites here of major interest to travellers in Luxor. How can you do that in a day? I want to introduce people to the Hidden Luxor.”

Examples of these gems of history are the tomb of Rekhmire in the Valley of the Nobles, the prime minister of Egypt during the empire period with its full range of Egyptian crafts and foreigners bringing tribute, the tomb of Pashedu, a worker in ‘the Place of Beauty’, in the workman’s village, the Assasif tombs from the period of the Black Pharaohs and the wonderful mini museum of Merenptah, possibly the Pharaoh of the Exodus.

Jane, who visited the country for 32 years before she became a resident, first got interested in Egyptology aged 9, loads of reading and seeing the Tutankhamen exhibition as a teenager further stimulated her obsession. Although there is nothing like going Abu Simbel and the Pyramids it was Luxor that captured her heart and her interest. Billed as the world’s largest open air museum it is rich in ancient history and local culture.

Jane is offering an e-book guide, a series of lectures about the sites and their history and a week long study course. Site visits are with local guides reflecting her commitment to providing employment for local residents.

Hidden Luxor the e-book guide to Luxor sites
Hidden Luxor the video series is a set of lectures on the sites with historical background and the latest excavation knowledge
Hidden Luxor the holiday is a weeklong Egyptology Extravaganza of daily lectures with site visits.

Also available Hieroglyphs Holiday, a full week unlocking the code of the Pharaohs from the eminent lecturer Suzanne Lax-Bojtos

They are all featured on the website www.hiddenluxor.com

The first residential course from Flats in Luxor and Suzanne Bojtos. Full details here http://www.egyptologycourses.com/hiddens-hieroglyphs/

Have you always longed to understand hieroglyphs, to crack the code of the Ancient Egyptians?
Be professionally taught by an experienced lecturer with 15 years experience?
Get hands on hieroglyphs experience in Egypt, to really know what you are looking at?
Want to enjoy a summer retreat of visits and lectures in the world largest open air museum

The Good News is, You Can Now Do All This!
Suzanne Lax-Bojtos is our visiting guest lecturer for a complete week of hands on hieroglyphs. We are delighted to have been able to obtain the services of such a well qualified and eminent lecturer.

Suzanne was born in the Czech Republic but has been living in the UK since the late 70’s where she obtained an MPhil from University College London in Egyptology; her specialist subject was “the Fayum during the Middle Kingdom”. She has been in adult education for many years and has been teaching Egyptology at Birkbeck College for some 15 years.