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Explore the temple of Dendera and Abydos on the west bank of the Nile. The full-day private tour from Luxor visits the Dendera Zodiac, the reliefs and restored ceilings of Hathor Temple, and the remains of Abydos Temple.

Tour Itinerary
Located on the west bank of the River Nile, the Abydos Temple and the temple complex of Dendera are considered among some of the finest remains from Ancient Egypt. On this full-day tour, with a private Egyptologist guide, you will visit both by comfortable air-conditioned transport.

After a pick-up from your hotel in Luxor, drive for about 3 hours to Abydos Temple. For the Ancient Egyptians it was one of the holiest sites in the world. As the cult center of the god Osiris, and gateway to the underworld, it was a popular place of pilgrimage and burial. You will tour the main Temple of Seti I, built around 1300 BC by Seti I and his son Ramses II. Notable for its fine reliefs, it is considered among the best of the New Kingdom.

Drive back toward Luxor and stop at the vast Dendera Temple complex. Surrounded by a gigantic mud brick wall, it and was the site of chapels and shrines from the very early days of Ancient Egypt. On arrival, you will commence your tour of Hathor Temple, dedicated to Hathor, goddess of love, joy, and music. Your guide will point out depictions of Cleopatra VI on the temple walls, demonstrating fine examples of Ptolemaic Egyptian art. One depicts Cleopatra with her son, Caesarion.

Go to the rear of the temple exterior to see a carving of Cleopatra VII Philopator, and the son she bore of Julius Caesar, Ptolemy XV Philopator Philometor Caesar. The temple ceiling has recently been cleaned, removing hundreds of years of black soot. As a result, the spectacular ceiling painting has been exposed in the main hall, and some of the most vibrant and colorful paintings dating from antiquity are now visible.

Hathor Temple is also one of the few Egyptian temples with an intact astronomical ceiling and accessible rooftop. Go to the Dendera Zodiac, and get fantastic views of the surrounding countryside before your return to Luxor.