Do you know where the name Luxor comes from and what it inspired? Here's a hint: the entire modern marketing industry would be suffering without it.
 |
| Obelisk at Luxor Temple (The one that stands at Place de la Concorde in Paris comes from here, too) |
Luxor comes from the Arabic "Al Uqsor" or "The Palaces" because when the Arabs arrived in Egypt, they believed that all of its ancient temples were palaces. Etymology of the word proves that the word "luxor" was the inspiration for the modern word, luxury.
 |
| Luxor Temple: above and below |
Webster’s dictionary states that the derivation of the word luxury comes from the Latin word luxus which relates to excess. Webster’s definition includes this notion of excess but also the notion of pleasure and indulgence and the connotation of something that is not necessary.
Luxor's temples provided ease, comfort, pleasure, indulgence, and satisfaction for the current life as well as the afterlife.
Luxor's most noted monuments and temples include The Temple of Karnak, Luxor Temple, Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens, Tombs of the Nobles, Habu Temple, Hatshepsut Temple, as well as all of the treasures located in the Luxor Museum.
Prior to the revolution last January, 5,000 tourists flocked to Luxor a day, and the city was on its way to becoming the "world's largest open air museum." In the ten months following the revolution, tourism in the city (the only major industry) has come to a screeching halt. Even the most optimistic of locals are worried.
One of the things I have noticed from my frequent trips to Luxor and researching it's history, is that nothing is new there. With such an impressive past, Luxor has seen it all - including political turmoil and revolutions. The ancient city of Thebes (part of modern Luxor) was proven to have human inhabitants over 500,000 years ago. The residents of ancient Thebes formed the first hunger strike in recorded history. The rulers of countless dynasties attempted to leave their mark in history by completely destroying the memories of their predecessors. Despite all of the drama, Luxor, it's people, and it's monuments live on.
Four of the common denominators in Luxor's history are the ingenuity of its inhabitants, the Nile, folkloric traditions, and the power of dreams.
There are enough Egyptian innovations in Luxor alone to keep you spellbound for a lifetime. For this reason, Modern music, literature, mathematics, science, astronomy, and medicine, have been influenced by ancient Egypt. Jazz, rap, and hip hop music consistently borrow Egyptian themes. Ancient Egyptian and Nubian instruments which played distinctive tunes for secular and religious occasions.
Share the Mic collaboration between American and Egyptian musicians at Luxor Temple
The ancient Egyptians had three writing styles including Hieroglyphic, Hieratic, and Demotic. Egyptian literature was scientific, secular, and religious. It comprised moral and educational treatises. It was in this part of Egypt in 4,000 year BCE that literature was developed. The people of ancient Luxor wrote, read, possessed, and loved books.Egyptian literature was scientific, secular, and religious. It comprised moral and educational treatises; state-papers; works on geometry, medicine, astronomy, and magic; travels, tales, fables, heroic poems, love-songs, and essays in the form of letters; hymns, dirges, rituals; and last, not least, that extraordinary collection of prayers, invocations, and religious formulæ known as The Book of the Dead.
Seshat - Godess of Writing
Advanced mathematics, science, and astronomy were developed in order to build the temples so precisely. Modern archaeologists, architects, and engineers are still amazed by their precision.
According to Homer's Odyssey: “The Egyptians were skilled in medicine more than any other art“ Hippocrates (the "father of medicine"), and many others, studied at the temple of Amenhotep, and acknowledged the contribution of ancient Egyptian medicine to Greek medicine.
Luxor, which gets less hits on the internet than the famous Las Vegas hotel which bears it's name, contains roots that spread to all depths of the globe. As the chairperson of The Baltimore Luxor Alexandria Sister City Committee, I have the opportunity to visit often. I am consistently awe-struck by not only the beauty of the place, magnitude of the monuments, and the kindness of the people, but of the knowledge that we still need to discover here.
Dinner with new Luxor Governor Dr. Ezzat Saad and Luxor Baltimore Sister City Committee
If you are planning a trip to Luxor anytime soon - I highly recommend the following day itinerary:
1. Start your day with breakfast and a cappuccino at the Winter Palace Hotel. Built in 1886, and home to many royal visits, it bridges the gap from ancient to modern luxury.
 |
| Winter Palace Hotel |
2. Tour Luxor Temple and the Luxor Museum.
3. Head to El Kababgy for lunch. You'll enjoy spectacular views of the Nile in a location that has hosted the likes of Princess Diana, Nicholas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni, Sheikha Moza (the first lady of Bahrain), to name a few. The kabobs are, in my opinion, the best in Egypt. My favorite is the Shish Tawook (marinated chicken kabobs with tomatoes and peppers).
 |
| Lunch at El Kababgy Restaurant with Dr. Amira Mohsen, Actor Jamal Suleiman, and friends |
4. Take a late afternoon/sunset felucca ride down the Nile and stop at Banana Island. The Nile used to flood twice annually and provide sustenance to the entire region. A Nile god named Hapi was worshiped in order to encourage an abundant supply. While the Nile still continues to be an important source of irrigation, it also provides beautiful scenery and touristic cruise opportunities.
Banana Island
5. Do some shopping and learn about traditional handicrafts at The Urban Center for Women
Traditional Khameya Embroirdery
Hand Engraved Copper and Brass
Traditionally Woven Rugs
6. Enjoy dinner at the Nubian Village. Luxor is home to 50,000 Nubians and this open air museum does a wonderful job of translating their culture.
7. After dinner, go back to the Corniche for drinks at the Metropolitan Cafe. It is here that I have done some of my most inspired writing and met wonderful local friends.
Dreams were very important in ancient Egypt. Rulers could often justify their ascension to the throne by telling the citizens that they dreamed of being related to royalty. Ancient Egyptians believed they could communicate with the gods, heal illnesses, and interpret the future while dreaming. The current lapse in tourism provides us the perfect opportunity to convey the unearthed gems of wisdom to the world. If we are able to keep our dreams and visions as clear as the ancients did while working diligently, we should exceed our own expectations, as well as that of the international community in no time.
0 comments:
Post a Comment