The name Luxor means 'the palaces' in Arabic. In ancient Egyptian times it was known as the City of Thebes. If you break the word into two parts:

Lux = 'Light' in Latin and Or = 'Gold or Golden' in French

So we can happily say that Luxor means 'City of the Golden Light'.

The Ancient City of Thebes.

Thebes lay on either side of the Nile River. It is one of the famed cities of antiquity and the capital of the ancient Egyptian Empire at its heyday. The remains of ancient Thebes constitute one of the largest and most remarkable archaeological sites in the world. The discoveries made at this site - now the modern city of Luxor - are responsible for much of our knowledge of Egyptian civilization.

Modern day Luxor is one of the foremost places for tourists from all over the world and has great attractions like the Valley of the Kings -- Valley of the Queens -- Temple of Hatshepsut and the temple structure at Karnak (North of Luxor).

To take a virtual tour please click here

The Temple of Amon (Amun) Ra at Karnak
12th Dynasty to the Ptolemaic Period (Circa 2000 - 220 BC).

Karnak is actually a village in Upper Egypt which has given its name to the northern half of the ruins of the ancient city of Thebes. Since the Middle Kingdom Karnak was the most important sanctuary of Amon Ra -- king of the gods. It is located 4 kilometres north of modern day Luxor . The Temples of Karnak make up an enormous complex and evolved over a period of almost 2000 years. The most remarkable feature is the Hypostyle Hall and its towering stone pillars completed in the 13th century BC by Ramses II.

The Temple of Karnak and the Temple of Luxor were linked by a stone paved avenue 3 kilometres long and lined with ram-headed sphinxes. Karnak reached its peak as a centre for the cult worship of Amon Ra during the New Kingdom (1550-1070 BC) and forms one of the largest religious complexes known to archaeology.