Thebes, now the city of Luxor, was the city of the god Amon and capital of Egypt during the period of the Middle and New Kingdoms. With the temples and palaces at Karnak and Luxor, and the necropolises, large elaborate cemetaries, of the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens, Thebes is a testimony to the height of Egyptian civilization. Shown on the cover is a seated statue of Ramesses II, one of Egypt’s most celebrated pharaohs, near the Luxor Temple entrance. The great ruler’s mummy was originally buried in Thebes’ Valley of the Kings, which, thanks to the gold-walled tomb of King Tutankhamun, is now one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world.
—Prepared by the World Tribune staff
