Medinet Habu
UNESCO World Heritage Site: Ancient Thebes With Its Necropolis (1979). The Mortuary Temple Of Ramses III, Enclosed Behind A Fortified Gate, Carrying The Best Preserved Painted Reliefs In Egypt And The Fullest Account Of The Sea Peoples' Invasion Anywhere · Luxor, Luxor
Medinet Habu is the mortuary temple of Ramses III at the southern end of the Theban west bank, and it is the best-preserved painted temple in Egypt - which is a stronger claim than it sounds, because almost everywhere else the colour has gone. Here it has not: the ceilings and the upper reliefs in the inner courts still carry blues, reds, yellows and greens, and the sunk relief is cut so deeply that the shadows do half the work. The temple is enclosed behind a fortified gatehouse modelled on a Syrian fortress, which is where Ramses kept his harem quarters, and the walls outside carry the fullest surviving account of the Sea Peoples' invasion - the war that ended the Bronze Age in the eastern Mediterranean - with prisoner tallies and naval battle scenes. It is four kilometres from the Valley of the Kings, it is almost always quiet, and a great many visitors to Luxor never go at all. Go late in the day, when the light is kindest to the paint.
At the southern end of the Theban west bank, about 4 km from the Valley of the Kings, Luxor, Luxor, Egypt
Open daily from early morning to late afternoon, shorter in winter, with a single ticket at the gate. Which parts of the enclosure, the palace area and the upper rooms of the fortified gate are accessible has varied with restoration work, so ask at the entrance. Mornings are cool and the colour in the inner courts reads best in indirect light rather than full sun, which makes this a good late-afternoon site as well. There is a sound and light show at Karnak and none here, which is part of why the evenings are quiet. The site is reached from the Luxor west bank by hired car, taxi or bicycle, usually as the third stop on a morning that starts in the Valley of the Kings, and the local ferry from the corniche runs all day for a few pounds.