Amazon Quiz (September 10): This is the Theban Necropolis, a famous site in which country?
Saudi Arabia
Syria
Egypt
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Answer: Egypt
Thebes, also known as Wase or Wo’se or (from around the 21st century BCE) Nowe or Nuwe, was the ancient Egyptian empire’s capital during its height and one of the fabled ancient cities. Thebes was located at a latitude of around 26° N, on each side of the Nile River. Luxor, also known as Al-Uqur, a modern settlement that makes up a portion of the site, is located 675 kilometres (419 miles) south of Cairo. Thebes in antiquity occupied a space of about 36 square miles (93 square km).
The majority of the city was located on the east bank of the Nile. The necropolis, also known as the “city of the dead,” was located along the west bank and contained the royal tombs and mortuary temples, as well as the homes of the priests, soldiers, craftsmen, and labourers who dedicated their lives to serving the Egyptian pharaohs. In 1979, the UNESCO classified the Thebes region—which includes Luxor, the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Queens, and Karnak—as a World Heritage Site.
In the seventh century bce, Thebes became the seat of the Napatan (Nubian) pharaohs. Homer mentions the wealth of “hundred-gated Thebes” because of how well-known it was to the ancient Greeks. But it was taken over by Ashurbanipal’s Assyrians in 663, and despite being rebuilt by the Saite rulers (Assyrian vassals), it never entirely recovered. The city had essentially become a tourist destination when Strabo lived (c. 63 bce–c. 23 ce), with visitors coming to see the historic temples.
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