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We have special tour bikes with gears for this tour. In our office we will first adjust your Saddle for your comfort. Also you will receive a bottle of mineral water for the trip. If you wish to have a breakfast / lunch bag, this is possible at Artright Gourmet & Supermarket. You cycle to the National Ferry, this is between the temple of Luxor and the mummification museum, when you arrive on the Westbank of the Nile you will bike to the Checkpoint. After you pass the Checkpoint, you will see the Colossus, huge statues, of Memnon. These stand before the lost temple from Amenhotep III . This was the biggest temple of all temples built on the West Bank. After this you start cycling to a crossroads, here is the big ticket office. Here you can buy tickets for Qurna, Deir el-Medina Medinet and Haboe.

If you go right, you will go to the direction of Qurna where the private tombs of many officials of the new rich kan be find. If you so desire, you can buy in the ticket office also the entrance tickets for 2 graves known as Sennefer and Rechmire, Menna and Night and Ramos.

All private graves have a number this number starts with TT this is the abbreviation of Theban Tombs

Sennefer. TT96   Sennefer was mayor of Thebes (now Luxor) in the 18th Dynasty at the time of Amenhotep II, around 1450 BC. The tomb has beautiful paintings and these are still in good condition and have a beautiful color. The tomb is also called the vine because this grave has magnificent ceiling paintings of grapes. His wife Senetnay was the great royal nurse and she is not buried in this grave. Mummieficatie remains with her name are found in the tomb KV42 in the Valley of Kings.

Rechmire TT100   Rechmire was the Visor under Toetmosis III and Amenhotep II (18th Dynasty around 1450 BC) ofUpper Egypt so also here in Thebes.   The tomb of Rechmire is a great source of information especially regarding the tax regime in this time of the new rich. Also you can find in this grave some beautiful images of workers in the Amon temple and a grave inventory for a king. It also shows how, for example standing statues are being made. Even though it was 150 years before Tutankhamen you can see the same statue of KA exactly the same as found in the tomb of Toetanchamon. Beautiful scenes of the funeral banquet are shown

Menna TT 69   Menna was superintendent of the barns in the time of Toetmosis IV and Amenhotep III (around 1400 BC.) The name of his wife was Henutatawis and they had 2 sons and 4 daughters. The whole family is being mentioned in the tomb. There is a beautiful images of birds and a fishm, it catch a real picture of family. Furthermore, we have pictures of grains writers whom are busy with writing down and sitting atop a mountain of grain. Of course is the husk of the Koorn separated. Beautiful tomb with beautiful paintings and good colors.

Nakht  TT52   His name means the Strong. Nakht was a writer but he also Astronomer in the Karnak temple. He lived during Toetmosis IV and Amenhotep III around 1400 BC. In the grave, not only the reception is painted but there are also beautiful paintings of the funeral banquet, among this birds and fish catch, making wine and fun. The painter has made a mistake or there was a lack of space but these paintings are in the wrong order. The cat under the seat of Nakht was his pet. There is statue of Nakht in his grave.

Ramose TT 55   Ramos was the Visor in the last few years Government of Amenhotep III. Probably started the construction of his tomb during this time. On the left side wall, the funeral is being painted while the rest of the tomb consists of relief images. The two kings are shown for which he worked. (Amenhotep III, Queen Teje and Echnaton & Nefertete). This grave is a transition grave related to the transition to the Amarna period. Of his family we know nothing but there are family members and friends, but given names are difficult to obtain. The grave has not being finished. In the back you find not finished reliefs.

Now we go back on the bike and cycling back to the big Ticket office. Then go to the right and you will start to visit Deir el-Medina.

Deir el-Medina is very special; it is the village of the artists, lived here 500 years. These are the men and their families who worked in the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens. But also they made amazing graves for themselves and their families. Some of them are splendid tombs. The village has been active from the beginning of the 18th Dynasty (around 1500 BC under Amenhotep I). Under Ramses III Deir-el-Medina was hastily abandoned. The people lived some time within the walls of the temple of Medinet Haboe.

Later a monastery was built. Deir el-Medina means therefore monastery in the city. The old name for the village is Pademi which means the village. The people of this monastery hdidn't want to go to the Nile everyday for water. They dug a huge pit, where of course no drop of water was found. At a given moment they give up but when they found nothing, all kinds of things where thrown into this huge pit. When discovered these findings where obviously a huge source of information. Everything was found; Ostraca (pieces of stone that were used to paintings). .

If you want to know more about this village, I refer you to the presentation that I can give you in your hotel with a slideshow. In this presentation I can tell a lot about the people of Deir el-Medina.

You can use this map to visit 2 wonderful graves of Sennedjem & Inherkau and a temple at the end of the village. You can walk around the village where people lived.

back on the bicycle we go back to the junction. At the junction we go straight to the temple of Medinet Haboe from Pharaoh Ramses III.
Nearby this temple we can have a break on the terrace afterwhich we can visit this fantastic temple.

Once inside you can see the temple but there are also other temples that have been included in the complex; Horemheb (about 1310 BC) and Hatsjepsoet and Toetmosis III (about 1450 BC.) made temples here. these temples are older then the big Temple. It is also a sanctuary for the women of God Amon from the 21st dynasty (1000 BC).

The temple itself is very well preserved. There are beautiful reliefs and stories in the first courtyard and you can see the window of appearances in which the soldiers received their gold from the king after a campaign. On the 2nd court, there are several parties shown. The columns behind hall is still beautiful in color and there are many gods depicted. Sadly on the 2nd Court, the Orisis statues are destroyed, this has been done by the Christians who made a church.

On this side is the palace. Here you can see the throne room and even the shower is still there. On the tip of the pylon, the famous image of the templeyou see the bull JAGT in the papyrus field at the Nile. After visiting the temple you cycle back to the ferry and you can cross to the east.

If you wish, before your tour, a powerpoint presentation can be given. Then you know already for what to look for.