The city is located in the area of ​​the ancient Egyptian capital of Thebes and is considered the largest open-air museum in the world, since the temple complexes of Luxor and Karnak are located within the city. On the opposite bank of the Nile is the Necropolis of Thebes, the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens. Because of the monuments, the city's economy is based on tourism.

Luxor was in ancient times Thebes, the capital of the kingdom and the city of Amun-Ra. The importance of the city was great already from the Eleventh Dynasty of Pharaohs, when it became a thriving city with high social status and luxury and as a city of arts, letters, wisdom and political superiority and reached its peak during the New Kingdom.