The Luxor Museum is an ideal place to spend a hot afternoon (it is airconditioned) away from the hustle and bustle of the town. But don't go there just to get a whiff of air con. The pieces on display here are masterpieces from Ancient Egypt, put on display in a modern and very appealing manner. You will walk awestruck from one famous piece to another, known from all coffeetable books on Egyptian Art.

Before entering he museum you will perhaps be ushered into a small movie theatre where an movie about Egypt's grandeur and Zahi Hawass' ditto is playing. Next to the theatre is a bookshop. I recommend skipping the bookshop and advice you to buy your books in Aboudi's Bookshop instead.

When you enter the museum, you should begin your tour by heading up the few steps to the first level. Here are the sculptures arranged in chronological order. But first you see a pretty golden cow, the cow goddess Mehit-Weret. This head is from the tomb of Tutankhamun. The massive granite head of a king next to the cow head is of king Amenhotep III. When you are up the few steps and begin to look around, you will see another granite head. This one of a sour looking fella with a downturned mouth and heavy eyelids. That is king Sesostris/Senuseret III, who ruled Egypt during the Middle Kingdom, one of Ancient Egypt's main periods. During the Middle Kingdom art, literature, and architecture grew to new heights and many of the manuscripts and stories we know today are originally from Middle Kingdom. Along the wall are several other fine sculptures and in the middle of the floor, a great staue of king Amenhotep III with the crocodile god Sobek.

Continuing straight ahead will bring you to the new wing, where objects dealing with war, technology and science is on display. In the middle, two mummies are tastefully exhibited, and one of the mummies is supposed to be of Rameses I. The mummy used to be part of a "freak show" in an Amercian museum, until it was returned to Egypt under much festivity in 2004. And don't miss the large statue of Amenhotep, son of Hapu, sitting in a scribe's position. Heading back where you came from, you go to level two of the first gallery. Up here you can see some examples of life during the Amarna-period, where the heretic Akhenaten was king. In the basement is one of the most awe inspiring statues from Egypt, namely the pink granite statue of king Amenhotep III. This statue, along with the other statues in the basement, which is not really a basement, just a lower level, were all found in the great court in the Luxor temple in the late 1980'es, buried beneath the floor.