Thebes, Egypt

Thebes
Waset
طيبة
Θῆβαι
Thebes, Egypt is located in Egypt
Thebes, Egypt
Shown within Egypt
Alternative nameArabic: طيبة
LocationLuxor, Luxor Governorate, Egypt
RegionUpper Egypt
Coordinates25°43′14″N 32°36′37″E / 25.72056°N 32.61028°E / 25.72056; 32.61028
TypeSettlement
Official nameAncient Thebes with its Necropolis
TypeCultural
CriteriaI, III, VI
Designated1979 (3rd session)
Reference no.87
RegionArab States

Thebes (Arabic: طيبة, Ancient Greek: Θῆβαι, Thēbai), known to the ancient Egyptians as Waset (Arabic: وسط),[1] was an ancient Egyptian city located along the Nile about 800 kilometers (500 mi) south of the Mediterranean. Its ruins lie within the modern Egyptian city of Luxor. Thebes was the main city of the fourth Upper Egyptian nome (Sceptre nome) and was the capital of Egypt for long periods during the Middle Kingdom and New Kingdom eras. It was close to Nubia and the Eastern Desert, with its valuable mineral resources and trade routes. It was a religious center and the most venerated city during many periods of ancient Egyptian history. The site of Thebes includes areas on both the eastern bank of the Nile, where the temples of Karnak and Luxor stand and where the city was situated; and the western bank, where a necropolis of large private and royal cemeteries and funerary complexes can be found. In 1979, the ruins of ancient Thebes were classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.[2]

  1. ^ Hawas, Zahi (2002). مخطوط معجم اللغة المصرية القديمة احمد كمال كمال. الجزء االثاني عشر (in Arabic). Cairo: Al-maǧlis al-aʿlá li-l-aṯār, high council of antiquities. p. 496. ISBN 9773053474.
  2. ^ "Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Retrieved 7 September 2021.