Dendera and Abydos: The Temples Most Visitors Skip

Most Luxor itineraries stop at Karnak, Luxor Temple, and the West Bank tombs, and never make it to two of the best-preserved temple complexes in Egypt, both a couple of hours north.

Dendera's Temple of Hathor

The Temple of Hathor at Dendera is remarkable mostly for what's survived intact — its roof, largely complete, protected the interior ceiling reliefs and painted astronomical scenes from the erosion that's stripped color from most other temples in Egypt. The famous Dendera zodiac ceiling relief (the original is now in the Louvre, with a replica in place) is one of the clearest surviving records of how ancient Egyptians mapped the night sky.

Abydos's Temple of Seti I

Further north, Abydos was one of ancient Egypt's most sacred sites, believed to be the burial place of the god Osiris, and its Temple of Seti I holds some of the finest carved reliefs anywhere in Egypt — cut with a precision and subtlety that's rare even by the high standard of New Kingdom temple art. The temple's king list, a carved record of pharaohs recognized by Seti I, is one of the most important chronological sources historians have for ancient Egyptian history.

Visiting Both in a Day

Dendera and Abydos are usually combined into a single long day trip from Luxor, since both sit in the same general direction north of the city. It's a full day of driving relative to a standard in-Luxor itinerary, but for travelers who've already covered Karnak and the Valley of the Kings and want to go further, it's one of the best-value additions available.