Luxor and Qurna (Western Thebes)
Luxor is exciting but Qurna is beautiful. (alqurnat jamila) القرنة جميلة
Qurna is the traditional village at the foot of the Valley of the Kings, and is located opposite Luxor. Previously you could take a long drive south and over a bridge and back north along the road to Qurna, or the ferry - or you could hire a launch to take you across the Nile. In 2023, a new bridge (kubri كوبري) was built between Qurna and Luxor and it is much quicker and easier now to get between the two.
Beneath the Luxor to Qurna bridge
Qurna is my second home. I love it here. I love the endless sunny days, the friendly people, the amazing souq, the mountains (gebel), the Nile, the farmland, the ancient architecture, the food - and last but not least my wonderful family. Everytime I get off the plane and drive through the village I find myself smiling. I share here some of my photos from my last trip (October, 2025). Please enjoy!
Qurna
The gebel (mountains) at night. Qurna (October, 2025)
Valley of the Kings
Tomb of Ramesses V/VI [1]
Tomb of Tausret and Setnakht [2]
Luxor Temple to Karnak Temple
Karnak
Have you been to Luxor? To the Valley of the Kings?
More photos from previous trips can be found under my Photography and Travel sections.
[1] A good description of the KV 9 - Tombs of Ramesses V and Ramesses VI: Brock, Edwin C. (2001) "The Tomb of Rameses VI". In Weeks, Kent R. (ed.). Valley of the Kings: The Tombs and Funerary Temples of Thebes West. VMB Publishers. pp. 244–265. ISBN 978-8854009769. See also: Piankoff, A. (1954)The Tomb of Ramesses VI. Pantheon Books, New York. https://archive.org/details/tomboframessesvi0001unse/page/n7/mode/2up
[2] To see more about this tomb I recommend the Theban Mapping Project - https://thebanmappingproject.com/tombs/kv-14-tausert-and-setnakht
