Ancient Thebes, which the Egyptians called Waset, the “City of the Scepter,” was built around the path of the sun. On the East Bank, where the sun rose, kings were crowned and the god Amun was worshipped in temples that took some 2,000 years to build. On the West Bank, where it set, those same kings were buried in the cliffs, in tombs so well hidden that Tutankhamun’s stayed undiscovered until 1922.
The ruins lie in and around modern Luxor, in Upper Egypt, and are protected as the UNESCO World Heritage Site Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis (see our UNESCO guide). This guide orients you on both banks, meets the craftsmen who staged what is often called the first recorded labor strike, and points you to our detailed guides for each site and for planning your trip.
Quick Facts
- Egyptian name: Waset (also “the city of Amun”)
- Location: On the Nile in Upper Egypt, at modern Luxor
- Peak: The New Kingdom, c. 1550–1070 BCE
- Main sites: Karnak, Luxor Temple, the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Queens, Deir el-Bahari
- Status: UNESCO World Heritage Site (inscribed 1979)
What Was Ancient Thebes?
Ancient Thebes was the religious capital of Egypt and a royal seat of the New Kingdom (c. 1550–1070 BCE). Called Waset by the Egyptians, it stood on the Nile at modern Luxor, home to the temples of Karnak and Luxor on the East Bank and, across the river, the royal tombs of the Valley of the Kings.
The name “Thebes” came from the Greeks. Homer’s Iliad already knew it as “hundred-gated Thebes,” while the Egyptians also called it the city of Amun, after its patron god. Why a provincial town rose to such prominence is a story of its own; see Why Was Thebes Important in Ancient Egypt?
A City Built Around the Sun
The Egyptians linked the east, where the sun rises, with life and rebirth, and the west, where it sets, with death and the afterlife. Thebes was laid out to match. The East Bank held the living city and its state temples; the West Bank held the Theban Necropolis and the kings’ mortuary temples. Each evening residents watched the sun “die” behind the western cliffs, and each dawn they watched it return, a daily rehearsal of the rebirth they hoped for themselves.
A Short Timeline
- c. 2055–2004 BCE: Mentuhotep II reunites Egypt from Thebes. When the 12th Dynasty later moves the court north to Itjtawy, Thebes loses the throne but keeps Amun.
- c. 1550 BCE: Ahmose I expels the Hyksos and founds the 18th Dynasty and the New Kingdom.
- c. 1550–1070 BCE: Conquest and tribute pour wealth into the city. Hatshepsut, Thutmose III, Amenhotep III, and Ramses II each leave monuments.
- 663 BCE onward: The Assyrians sack Thebes, and a revolt against Ptolemaic rule is crushed around 88 BCE. Its sacred prestige outlasts its political power.
East Bank: Karnak and Luxor Temple
Karnak is one of the largest ancient religious complexes ever built, sprawling across more than 200 acres, with pharaohs adding to it for about 2,000 years. Highlights include the Great Hypostyle Hall, a forest of 134 towering sandstone columns, and the obelisk of Hatshepsut, at about 29.5 meters the tallest surviving obelisk in Egypt.
Luxor Temple was dedicated to Amun, Mut, and Khonsu, the Theban Triad, and to the cult of divine kingship. Amenhotep III built its core; Tutankhamun and Horemheb completed the decoration of the Great Colonnade, and Ramses II added the huge entrance pylon, courtyard, statues, and obelisks. It was the destination of the Opet Festival procession, and the restored Avenue of Sphinxes once again links it to Karnak.
West Bank: The Theban Necropolis
Cross the Nile and the lush riverbank quickly gives way to scorched limestone. Yet this was not a silent place. During the Beautiful Festival of the Valley, Thebans crossed to the West Bank to visit their ancestors’ tombs and share meals beside them. Our Theban Necropolis guide covers the whole area; here is the essential map.
Valley of the Kings: By the New Kingdom, pharaohs had stopped building pyramids and began cutting tombs into a remote wadi beneath the peak of al-Qurn. Tutankhamun’s tomb (KV62) is modest in size but famous for its 1922 discovery; Seti I’s (KV17) is often considered the finest decorated tomb in the valley; Ramesses VI’s (KV9) ceiling carries the Book of the Heavens.
Valley of the Queens: Less famous, but home to the tomb of Queen Nefertari (QV66), often compared to the Sistine Chapel for its vivid painted walls. Public access to the tomb has changed over time, so check its current status on our Luxor Entrance Fees page before building a plan around it.
Mortuary temples: Often called “Houses of Millions of Years,” these temples existed to maintain the king’s cult, not to hold his burial. The main ones are Hatshepsut’s three-tiered temple at Deir el-Bahari, built into a cliff; Medinet Habu, Ramses III’s temple with reliefs of his battles against the “Sea Peoples”; and the Colossi of Memnon, two statues of Amenhotep III that are the most visible remains of what was once among the largest mortuary temples in Thebes.
Daily Life: The Tomb Builders of Deir el-Medina
The royal tombs were dug by a village of skilled craftsmen at Deir el-Medina, and the records they left give the most intimate picture of Theban life.
- A workforce that wrote. Many villagers were literate and left notes on pottery and limestone flakes (ostraca): letters, laundry lists, and excuses for missing work.
- The first recorded strike. In the 29th year of Ramses III (about 1157 BCE), the workers walked off the job when their grain rations ran late. Often described as the first recorded labor strike, the episode is preserved in the Turin Strike Papyrus.
- Women’s legal independence. Women in ancient Egypt, including in Thebes, could own property, take legal action, and initiate divorce.
- Household religion. Families kept shrines to Bes and Taweret, protectors of the home and of childbirth, and left “ear stelae” at temples so the gods would hear their prayers.
- Leisure. Senet was played across social classes, and beer was a daily staple.
Visiting Ancient Thebes Today
You can still walk much of ancient Thebes, but prices, hours, and access rules change, so we keep planning details on dedicated pages:
- Ticket prices and opening hours: Luxor Entrance Fees
- Whether a multi-day pass saves money: Luxor Pass
- A ready-made plan: One Day in Luxor