HIDDEN LUXOR: LOCAL EGYPTOLOGIST REVEALS EGYPT’S TOURIST GEMS
The Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut, Karnak Temple … exciting names that most people will know are in Egypt but few would be able to name another site in the town of Luxor where they are found. A lady determined to change all that is Jane Akshar who was born in Sussex and studies Egyptology at Manchester University. Jane has now been living in Luxor for 8 years.
“Luxor is so often offered as a day trip or at best three days and yet there is so much here that people just don’t get a chance to see. There are 23 ticketed sites here of major interest to travellers in Luxor. How can you do that in a day? I want to introduce people to the Hidden Luxor.”
Examples of these gems of history are the tomb of Rekhmire in the Valley of the Nobles, the prime minister of Egypt during the empire period with its full range of Egyptian crafts and foreigners bringing tribute, the tomb of Pashedu, a worker in ‘the Place of Beauty’, in the workman’s village, the Assasif tombs from the period of the Black Pharaohs and the wonderful mini museum of Merenptah, possibly the Pharaoh of the Exodus.
Jane, who visited the country for 32 years before she became a resident, first got interested in Egyptology aged 9, loads of reading and seeing the Tutankhamen exhibition as a teenager further stimulated her obsession. Although there is nothing like going Abu Simbel and the Pyramids it was Luxor that captured her heart and her interest. Billed as the world’s largest open air museum it is rich in ancient history and local culture.
Jane is offering an e-book guide, a series of lectures about the sites and their history and a week long study course. Site visits are with local guides reflecting her commitment to providing employment for local residents.
Hidden Luxor the e-book guide to Luxor sites
Hidden Luxor the video series is a set of lectures on the sites with historical background and the latest excavation knowledge
Hidden Luxor the holiday is a weeklong Egyptology Extravaganza of daily lectures with site visits.
Also available Hieroglyphs Holiday, a full week unlocking the code of the Pharaohs from the eminent lecturer Suzanne Lax-Bojtos
They are all featured on the website www.hiddenluxor.com