Living in Luxor - News 2010: Overview

 

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We wish all our readers peaceful Christmas holidays and a Happy New Year! Thank you for your interest last year. We look forward to welcoming you (again) in Luxor!

Child Nutrition Support in Luxor

(December 29, 2010)
2010 ends with good news! Banque du Caire signed a partnership agreement with United Nations World Food Programme. The World Food Programme is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. With LE 300,000 (EUR 39,000) the bank will finance special nutritious snacks for 4,600 undernourished kindergarten children in 60 kindergarten classes in Luxor.

Campagn Against Illegal Display of Nile Crocodiles, Luxor East Bank

(December 20, 2010)
As it is a growing trend by the Red Sea hotels to showcase dolphins illegal and not species-appropriate as a "tourist attraction" there are more and more hotels in Luxor which illegally purchase nile crocodiles and display them in smallest containers. In according with the "Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora" the Egyptian government has launched a campaign to stop this trend. Should you live in one of those hotels it would be desirable to let the management know that you don't appreciate that cruelty to animals!

 

More Finds at Kom el-Hettân, Luxor West Bank

(December 16, 2010)
Once again, archaeologists found statuary fragments on the northern side of the Mortuary Temple of Amenhotep III. This time they uncovered a 2.73m tall head of the god Hapi (one of the four sons of Horus depicted with a baboon face) and 30cm tall legs, which belonged to a statue of Amenhotep III. Due to the large number of statuary found in this area, Zahi Hawass believes that the northern side of the temple may have served as a burial spot for broken and damaged ritually significant statues.

     

Luxor International Forum, Luxor East Bank

(December 08, 2010)
The Luxor International Forum will gather business, arts and media leading personalities to take action against human trafficking. This landmark event is organized by "End Human Trafficking Now!" (EHTN!) in collaboration with UN.GIFT and initiated by Suzanne Mubarak Women’s International Peace Movement. It will take place in Luxor on 10 - 12 December 2010 and aims to encourage businesses to utilize their global reach and network of connections to combat human trafficking. 400 participants, including CEOs of major corporations in different sectors, government representatives, high profile media figures, NGOs, artists, and many other eminent personalities like Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore und Nicolas Cage will take part. The documentary "Playground - the child sex trade in America" produced by George Clooney and directed by Libby Spears will be aired. See the trailer here...

              

Stick Fighting Festival, Luxor East Bank

(December 07, 2010)
On 10th of December the annual Stick Fighting Festival is to be held in Luxor Temple. Tahtīb is a traditional martial art originated in pharaonic Egypt. 32 experts will fight with wooden sticks (about four feet in length).

Happy (Islamic) New Year!

(December 07, 2010)
Today on 7th of December the year 1432 of the Islamic calendar also called Hijri calendar begins. It is a lunar calendar. Each month has either 29 or 30 days, so the Islamic year is about 11 days shorter than a solar year. 33 lunar years are the equivalent of 32 solar years.

    

New Illumination of the Theban Hills, Luxor West Bank

(December 02, 2010)
During the last months the night scenery of the Theban Hills was impressively staged. Now, the project with a budget of 56 million LE (ca. 7,4 million EUR) has been completed. The lighting system with 922 lighting units which resist every weather was carried out by the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) in collaboration with Egypt’s Sound and Light Organization and the French company Architecture Lumière. The aim is to preserve the paintings in the tombs located on Luxor’s west bank. Through the extensive lighting it is now possible to visit the tombs until 8:00 p.m. To distribute the visitors throughout more hours a day will reduce the level of humidity inside the tombs.

   

Prohibition of Wedding in Luxor Temple, Luxor East Bank

(December 01, 2010)
Apparently the planned pharaonic wedding of Naomi Campbell (see the news of 4th of November) came to nothing. The Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) is afraid that the temple could be damaged during the ceremony.

Ancient Road with Sphinxes found in Luxor, East Bank

(November 16, 2010)
Twelve sphinx statues from the reign of Nectanebo I (30th dynasty, 380-362 BC) were found in Luxor at the end of the ancient road of Nectanebo I. This road 600 metres in length runs from east to west, toward the Nile, and leads to the Avenue of the Sphinxes. Hereby, the sacred route mentioned in many ancient texts for religious processions is confirmed. Once a year the sacred boat of God Amun travelled on this pathway to the temple of his wife Goddess Mut.

    

Luxor Times, Issue 6, Now Available

(November 10, 2010)
The new issue of Luxor Times is out and avaliable for 10 LE. For table of contents and contact address click here.

  

Celebrity Gossip: Naomi Campell to wed in Luxor, East Bank

(November 04, 2010)
Naomi Campbell, the famous British model, plans to marry her fiancé Vladislav Doronen at the Luxor Temple on 7th of December, 2010. Bride and groom will spend their honeymoon at the Winter Palace Hotel and book all rooms for their 250 guests. From 7th to 11th of November Naomi is already touring on a Nile Cruise from Luxor to Aswan.

    

Egyptian Marathon on 28th of January, 2011, Luxor West Bank

(October 28, 2010)
The 18th Egyptian Marathon will again take place in Luxor. You may decide in which distance you want to take part: Marathon (42,195 km), Luxor Run (22,289 km), Ramses Run & Walk (12,336 km) - or Kid's Run (5 km). The race will start (7:00 a.m.) and end (1:00 p.m.) beneath Hatshepsut Temple on the West Bank of Luxor. The street there leeds to the actual circular course at the length of almost 10 km (for marathon one run it 4 times).
Also for inline skaters and wheelchair users.
Participation fee: 60 EUR. Dead line: 31st of December, 2010.
Follow the links for more information, application form and race map.

   

Howard Carters Diaries Now Online

(October 09, 2010)
The Griffith Institute Oxford put the first part of Howard Carter's original diaries online entitled "Tutankhamun: Anatomy of an Excavation. Howard Carter's diaries and journals. The first excavation season in the tomb of Tutankhamun.
Part 1: October 28 to December 31, 1922". Follow this link.

        

Conserving Hassan Fathy's Village, Luxor West Bank

(October 04, 2010)
The First Scientific Committee for the Safeguarding of New Gourna was held in Luxor from 2 - 3 October 2010. In the context of preserving the architectural heritage of Hassan Fathy Village, also known as Bar Ghorba, a delegation from the World Heritage Center of UNESCO paid a visit to the city and pledged $1 million over the next three years to help conserve it.

     

Statue of Amenhotep III found, Luxor West Bank

(October 02, 2010)
At Kom el-Hettân the 130 cm tall upper part of a statue of Amenhotep III was unearthed. With its 385,000 square metres the site was the largest temple ever built in Egypt. Amenhotep III was a Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty. At the age of 12 his 37 years reign began. It was a period of unprecedented prosperity and artistic splendour.

    

New Large Supermarket in Luxor, East Bank

(September 04, 2010)
Two days before the beginning of this year's Ramadan, so on the 9th of August 2010, the supermarket "Chair Samān" opened in Luxor. It is convincing with its extensive offer of goods which contains fresh fruit and vegetables, wide-ranging cheese and meat counters as well as organic products and an ample choice of frozen foods. Non-foods like body care products or cleaning agents are also not missing. The goods are all priced.
You will find "Chair Samān" on the left side of the Television Street opposite of Omar Ali Street and Garden Hotel.

  

Deir El-Medina: TT290 Open, Luxor West Bank

(August 22, 2010)
TT1, the tomb of Sennedjem, ist closed for restoration from now on. Instead the tomb of Irunefer (TT290) is open to the public. It's located in Deir El-Medina, the village of the craftsmen, west of the Temple of Hathor. Irunefer was probably a "Servant in the Place of Truth", i.e. he worked in the Theban Necropolis. His tomb was discovered in 1922.

  

ACE's 10th Birthday with Anniversary Party, Luxor East Bank

(July 21, 2010)
ACE (Animal Care in Egypt), an aid organization that cares for sick and pained animals in Luxor, celebrates its 10th birthday with a wide number of events on Friday 23rd of July, 2010 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. For more informations click here.

Luxor Times, Issue 5, Now Available

(July 14, 2010)
The new issue of Luxor Times is out and avaliable for 10 LE. For table of contents and contact address click here.

  

Tunnel in Seti I Tomb (KV17), Luxor West Bank

(July 01, 2010)
Finally, the excavation work of the 174 m long tunnel at the end of the tomb of Pharao Seti I that began in November 2007 is declared closed. Unfortunately, without any sensational founds. The tunnel ended abruptly not leading in a second hidden burial chamber what implies that the work was stopped when the pharao died. Seti I ruled in Dynasty XIX and was the father of Ramses II. The tomb is closed to the public.

   

Opening of the 1st European School in Luxor, Luxor East Bank

(Uodated June 27, 2010)
On 18th of September, 2010 an European School will be inaugurated in Luxor, Geziret El Awamia. The educational philosophy of the Europa-Schule Luxor is based on the principles of the Montessori method according to the Cairo model. Initially it will offer a kindergarten, a pre-school and the first three school years of the primary school. Gradually the following school years will be offered up to final examinations for accessing an university. The full-day care is between 08:15 a.m. and 16:00 p.m. and includes homework done under supervision, breaks, meal, and playtime. Read more ...

Office hours for more information and application at Sonesta Hotel Luxor:
Thursday, 24th of June 2010, between 5 and 7 p.m.
Saturday, 26th of June 2010, between 10 and 12 a.m. and 5 and 7 p.m.

Visiting the new school building in Luxor:
Saturday, 26th of June 2010, 3:30 p.m., starting from Sonesta Hotel Luxor

Contact persons:
Kate Baker from Sunday to Thursday at Sonesta Hotel Luxor
Klaus Wehmeyer, new head of the school info@ids-luxor.com

    

Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) Kairo - First Inauguration

(June 17, 2010)
Because the Egyptian Museum in Cairo is bursting at the seams already in 2002 the foundation was laid for a new museum at the Giza Plateau which will cost 550 million US Dollar. The Irish firm Heneghan based in Japan won the international architectural competition held in 2003. On Monday, after eight years of work, the first two phases of the project - including a power plant, fire station, four storage galleries and fully-equipped conservation centre which is with 12 labs the largest in the world were inaugurated. The conservation centre has been constructed 10 metres below ground level and will be used for restoring, scanning and studying mummies as well as objects made from pottery, wood, textiles and glass. The 122 conservators are currently working on restoring 6,800 objects that will be part of the museum's permanent display (including the artifacts of Tutankhamun's tomb).

 

Art Exhibition by Marianne Bryand, Luxor Eastbank

(May 24, 2010)
The cheerful paintings of the severely disabled Swiss artist Marianne Bryand are to be seen from the 24th of May to the 30th of May, 2010 (except Tuesday) in the Mubarak Public Library in Luxor. Manually disabled, she developed a construction for herself by which she paints with her forehead and nose.

         

New Finds at Kom el-Hettân 3, Luxor West Bank

(May 17, 2010)
Once again a red granite colossus of Thoth, was unearthed at the northwestern side of King Amenhotep III’s funerary temple on the west bank of Luxor. The statue is 3.5 meters tall and 1.4 m wide. Thoth, the ancient Egyptian deity of wisdom, magic, science, and philosophy invented alphabet (hieroglyphs) and calendar, protected libraries and reported while judgment of the dead.

  

Nilometer and Coptic Church Discovered, Luxor East Bank

(May 12, 2010)
During excavations at the Avenue of Sphinxes which in Pharaonic times connected the Luxor Temple with the Karnak Temple the remains of a fifth century church and a Nilometer with 7 meters in diameter have been uncovered. A Nilometer was built for measuring the water level of the Nile river during the annual flood season.

  

Opening of the Art Gallery "Symbolique", Luxor East Bank

(April 28, 2010)
On Saturday 1st of May, 2010 the English artist Brian Flynn opens his gallery in the small courtyard on the left of the Winter Palace Hotel. You will find not only his impressive original paintings but also art reproductions and postcards of his mainly Egyptian subjects.

    

New Finds at Kom el-Hettân 3, Luxor West Bank

(March 22, 2010)
During routine work reducing the groundwater’s level on Luxor's West Bank workers unearthed two red granite statues near the Pharaoh’s funerary temple: one of King Amenhotep III together with the god Re-Horakhty and one of the god Thoth as a baboon. A huge, calcite statue fragment was also found.

    

New Finds at Kom el-Hettân 2, Luxor West Bank

(March 02, 2010)
On 1st of March the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) announced that a colossal head of King Amenhotep III was discovered during routine excavations in his funerary temple at Kom El-Hettan. The 2,50 m high well-preserved head of the pharao wears the Upper Egyptian white crown with a cobra.

    

Tutankhamun's DNA Results, Luxor - Cairo

(February 20, 2010)
16 royal mummies underwent detailed DNA and CT scan studies to determine their familial relationships. The results revealed that Tutankhamun’s father was almost certainly the “heretic” king Akhenaten. His mother, who still cannot be identified by name, is the mummy KV35YL ("Younger Lady” buried in KV 35). Also, the cause of Tutankhamun's death was examined. The scientists discovered the protozoon that causes malaria in the body of Tutankhamun. The CT scan revealed that the king had a lame foot, caused by avascular bone necrosis (Köhler disease II). These results suggest necrosis in conjunction with the malarial infection as the most likely cause of death in Tutankhamun.
The results of the two-year study were published in JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, vol. 303, no. 7, 2010.

  

Art Exhibition "On a Butterfly's Wing", Luxor West Bank

(February 03, 2010)
The Egyptian artist Elganainy opens an exhibition of his paintings on Febr 10, 2010 at 5 p.m. at the Marsam Hotel. The exhibition closes on Febr 24, 2010.

    

Urban Development for Habu Village, Luxor West Bank  

(January 31, 2010)
The Habu village is situated right next ro the Mortuary Temple of Ramses III (Medinet Habu). Here, at the request of the Egyptian government the first systematic village renewal with the concept of public participation should take place in collobaration with the German Hanns Seidel Stiftung. Initially, a remeasurement of the area is needed because several property situations are unresolved. The first public meetings already took place.