Luxor's Hidden Gems: A Day of Surprises

Each and every time we walk to or from our Airbnb, we can expect a dozen or more people to ask where we’re from and how long we’ll be here and then pitch us to either take a taxi or TukTuk somewhere, take a Felucca ride, or take a tour of any number of nearby archeological sites. And if you don’t want one today, can they schedule you for tomorrow? We do our best to dodge the requests with a polite smile and a thank you since we are typically out taking a walk and exploring on our own. We also have an upcoming Nile Cruise that covers the majority of the places that people mention. Today a man in a car slows and whispers a warning to us that the group around the corner are “on commission” and don’t own their own boats.

Deir el-Medina tomb-East Bank Nile, Luxor, Egypt

A new restaurant opened up the other day on our strip close to the Nile. We were heading to the neighboring restaurant to see our friend Mohammed, but the new owner MoMo greeted us and we decided to check out his place for dinner. After we ordered, he gave us the same pitch as everyone else. Where are we from and how long are we staying and do we want to take a tour? Originally, we were politely dismissive, but when I mentioned that we already have a Nile cruise, he strategically mentioned that the sites we’ll see mostly are on the East Bank of the Nile, but there are several interesting sites where we are on the West Bank to explore. His pitch was convincing, he sounded very knowledgeable about the sites, and the price was reasonable ($20 before tips), so we made a plan to meet up at the restaurant at 9am. Before departing he offhandedly mentioned that it might be either with him or his cousin, Youssef. We hoped his cousin could speak English as well and hoped it wasn’t a bait and switch.

Youssef was friendly and on time. We brought our own water just in case, but he provided a bottle to each of us, which was good because the sun already was scorching by that early hour. Our first stop was to pick up entry tickets, which were at our cost to both Valley of the Workers (Artisans) (Deir el-Medina) and Medinet Habu Temple. He also mentioned a stop at the alabaster shop where “his family” makes all sorts of products, but there would be no pressure to buy. We have no intention to purchase anything and know that most of these places are tourist traps. Youssef warns us that the trinkets at the tombs will be fake.

We arrive at Deir el-Medina, which is only a 15-minute drive or so from our Airbnb. Kevin and I look at each other in a mixture of surprise and confusion when our guide/driver reveals that we should ping him on WhatsApp ten minutes before we are ready to get picked up. We mistakenly assumed that the driver would be accompanying us and guiding the tour. This is why the “tour” was so cheap. We thought it was because there was no middle man and he’d be expecting a large tip. We all know what happens when you assume! We get out of the car and decide to make the best of it.

Deir el-Medina tomb-Luxor, Egypt photo by local Egyptian

Deir el-Medina appeals to us because it is a village comprised of Egyptian workers who built the tombs in the Valley of the Kings as long ago as 1400 BC. The people living there were artisans and spent their spare time building and decorating their own tombs, and their hieroglyphics richly depict community living unlike anywhere else. We are allowed to visit three of the tombs with our tickets. There are brief descriptions outside each of the tombs, which helps take the sting out of not having a guide. As always there are persistent hawkers trying to sell souvenirs. Before driving away, Youssef reminded us that these trinkets are not made out of the materials the sellers claim and likely are made in China, not Egypt, or of inferior scrap materials. It’s not a big deal for us because there is no where for us to store souvenirs, so we adamantly decline offers to purchase anything. Inside the tombs are enterprising Egyptians who want to take your picture (for a tip), cool you off with a cardboard box flap (for a fee), or explain some of the pictures on the walls (for a tip). Guess which two we did?

Youssef responds to my WhatsApp text through a voice recording, which is harder than using an auto-translated text, and off we go to an alabaster store to see the modern artisans. This wasn’t originally part of our plan, but we decide to say yes to the experience, especially since alabaster is local to Luxor.

Typical exterior of Luxor alabaster store

We’re told that the artisans today continue the fine craftwork that they learned from their ancient ancestors. Upon arriving at one of the many nearby alabaster stores, we get a small introduction to how things are made, and three artisans are outside working. We’re taken through an interactive experience of learning about how alabaster is made, and we are cued to ohhhh and ahhhhh on command, particularly when they demonstrate that when you put a lightbulb inside alabaster, it is transparent and glows. The artisans teach us what to expect from real alabaster, which is very lightweight when it’s hollowed out compared to marble, which can’t easily be lightened, and plaster, which doesn’t have any transparency and can crumble if you scratch it. It’s very informative, but there’s still no room in our suitcases to want a memento of our experience. We accept the invitation to tour of all the various hand-crafted items inside the shop but decline “his courtesy” of tea. An air-conditioned room with fancy lighting contains special items that were made by their grandfathers and great grandfathers. The items aren’t ancient like the tombs, but I later learn that the modern artisans made statuettes and items that are against the Muslim religion and so buried them under their homes. The village had to be relocated and in doing so, the hidden items were discovered and then distributed among the various artisans to sell as part of their wares.

Medinet Habu Temple, West Bank, Luxor

We load into the car to Medinet Habu Temple, which was built by pharaoh Ramses III and dedicated to the god Amun. It’s not part of the typical tour route, so we are pleasantly surprised at its exquisite colors and magnitude. Ramses III went to great effort to let his enemies know that he was someone to be feared and respected by memorializing his many victories. As we stand in awe at the entry gate, an Egyptian named Ahmed speaking clear English begins describing various carvings. He takes us from one area to another, and in no time we embrace our new de facto guide. He flits from one place to another, knowing exactly what highlights should not be missed, and adeptly navigates us around all the people taking long modeling poses for their friends’ cameras. We see stanchions at some of the entrances to rooms, but Ahmed bypasses them to show us hidden gems inside. The rooms are off limits for dusting, but no renovations have ever happened here. The biggest disappointment is seeing the thousand plus year old temple be defaced by the Coptic Christians because the drawings went against their beliefs of honoring false gods.

Ahmed draws our attention to the piles of hands (and other appendages) that are represented to signify battles that have been won and the consequences to their enemies, which we never would have known or understood on our own. After exploring many of the interior elements, we explore additional rooms, including an ancient bathroom. Now we’re onto photographs and Ahmed scurries us from one scenic area to another as proof that we’re in this ancient temple with him. But he’s quick. Snap here, move, snap there. Of course we insist that Ahmed join us for a picture as well. After a time, he mentions that the tour is over. We gladly hand over a generous tip, but he asks for more. We didn’t negotiate beforehand, and we really got so much value for our time that we hand over another large bill. Surprisingly, we are off to the races again as Ahmed shows us more and more as we make our way back to where we started. We wave farewell and do a brief bit of exploring on our own before sending another WhatsApp message to Youssef.

By now, the Egyptian heat has gotten the better of us, and we are happy to head back to our Airbnb. Youssef offers to have us pose by the Colossi of Memnon, but I’ve visited there enough times during my walks that we decline. A tip for him, the remainder of the payment for MoMo, and we head back to our air conditioned abode. Despite the unexpected twists and turns, the sights and experiences made it a day to remember. Welcome to Luxor!