The modern town of Luxor and the adjoining village of Karnak are where the ancient capital of Thebes used to be. Thebes was for a very long period the religious and political capital of Egypt, hence the large number of temples and monuments.
The two main temples here are the massive one at Karnak and the smaller, but still very large one at Luxor itself.
With a history stretching back 4,000 years, the great Hypostyle Hall in the Karnak Temple with its forest of massive columns is now (unfortunately?) commonly remembered for being a dramatic setting in the James Bond film "The Spy Who Loved Me"! There are more photos of Karnak Temple here
Luxor Temple was dedicated to one of the main Egyptian Gods, Amun - the patron deity of Thebes as well as a couple of other Gods. Mainly built by Amenhotep III, 3,400 years ago, it was also added to by Ramesses II.
This photo shows the Pylon with Ramesses II statues flanking the entrance. Originally there were two obelisks. The second one is now in Place de la Concorde in Paris.
There are more photos of Luxor Temple here
Edfu is one of the best preserved temples in Egypt and second largest after Karnak.
The Ptolemaic temple is dedicated to the God Horus. Over the centuries, the temple became buried to a depth of 12 meters beneath drifting desert sand and layers of river silt deposited by the Nile. Local inhabitants built homes directly over the former temple grounds. Only the upper reaches of the temple pylons were visible by 1798, when the temple was identified by a French expedition and excavated the following century.
There are more photos of Edfu Temple here
We visited this temple twice, once at night and then in daytime. By night in the moonlight it was magical.
Being dedicated to two Gods, Horus and Sobek it is, unusually, a symmetrical twin temple.
There are more photos of Kom Ombo Temple here
Along with Abu Simbel, this is another temple that had to be moved due to damming of the Nile. The temple was recreated on an island shaped to look like the original island of Philae, in 1980.
Dedicated to Osiris, it is set in a beautiful location, with a nice boat ride to the island, adding to the charms of the visit.
There are more photos of Philae Temple here
The big one. Actually the big two, as Ramesses II built a pair of temples, carving them into the steep cliff faces overlooking (originally) a bend in the Nile at the very southern tip of Egypt. One of the most iconic sights in Egypt after the Pyramids at Giza.
There are more photos of Abu Simbel here
