Discover The Ancient World: Top 14 Fun Facts About Thebes You Never Knew!

1. Shakespeare's Theban Mix-up

In an ironic twist of fate that would leave ol' William Shakespeare himself chuckling from the grave, his play The Two Noble Kinsmen features a jailor's daughter warbling about Thebes, Greece, yet gives no nod to its ancient namesake, Thebes, Egypt: The somewhat comedic reference to Thebes occurs during a song about the tragic love story of Palamon and Arcite, two kinsmen who found themselves defeated by Theseus and imprisoned in Athens, with their friendship's humble beginnings set against the backdrop of Thebes, Greece.
Source => folgerpedia.folger.edu

2. Ancient Thebes: Festival Central

If Thebes had Facebook, its events calendar would be the envy of all ancient cities: brimming with 60 of the wildest annual shindigs that make Coachella look like child's play! The serious reveal: Thebes, aka Waset, was a hotspot for spectacular festivals such as the Beautiful Feast of Opet, Khoiak Festival, Festivals of I and II Shemu, and the Halloween-meets-Mardi Gras mashup, the Beautiful Festival of the Valley, all centered around their devotion to the god Amun.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

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=> Fun Facts about Egypt

3. The Nile: Egypt's Original Rideshare

Before Uber and Lyft, there was the ancient Egyptian version - the Nile Express: Most transportation in ancient Thebes relied on river boats cruising along the Nile, but when the Semitic Hyksos introduced horses and chariots around 1700 B.C., the locals gained expressway access to empire expansion, while everyday folks kept it real by sticking to their trusty river commute.
Source => factsanddetails.com

4. The Sistrum: Musical Peacekeeper

Shake, rattle, and appease the gods: The ancient Egyptians used the sistrum, a musical rattle, in religious ceremonies to pacify deities, particularly during the festival of Opet at Thebes; its divine shape and popularity even spread to the cult of Isis in Roman times.
Source => touregypt.net

5. Amun-Re's Theme Park

Hold on to your sacrificial goats, folks: Thebes was once home to the ancient world's answer to Disney World, the Precinct of Amun-Re! This colossal religious theme park sprawled across an impressive 200 acres and housed the Temple of Karnak - a place so divine that offerings and sacrifices were made to the mighty god Amun-Ra as if he'd invented sliced bread.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

6. Hatshepsut's MTV Temple Cribs

If Hatshepsut were on MTV Cribs, she'd have given us a wild tour of her swanky Mortuary Temple at Deir el-Bahari, spilling details about her legendary trip to Punt and her divine birth into royal godliness: In reality, the temple is an architectural masterpiece, with hints of inspiration from the Temple of Mentuhotep II, five cult sites, and beautiful reliefs depicting both Hatshepsut's journey and her godly origins.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

7. Thebes' Solar Dance

As the sun plays a never-ending game of hide and seek in the land of mummies and pyramids, Thebes finds itself caught in the crossfire: In ancient Thebes, modern-day Luxor, the sun struts its brightest stuff for 3.8 months, May to August, while it takes a backstage breather for 2.8 months, November to February, with June rocking a dazzling 8.5 kWh daily solar energy and December sulking at a gloomy 4.3 kWh.
Source => weatherspark.com

8. Great Hypostyle Hall: Papyrus Party!

Did you hear about the ancient Egyptian rave that lasted three millennia?: The Great Hypostyle Hall in Karnak, covering a whopping acre of Thebes' land, features 134 glorious sandstone columns reaching up to 20 meters high and is brimming with intricate inscriptions that tell the tales of Egyptian religion, culture, politics, and diplomacy—it's practically the papyrus party of the century!
Source => memphis.edu

9. Theban Triad: Brunch Buddies

Once upon a time in ancient Egypt, the Theban Triad was the divine family you'd want to brunch with: Introducing the ancient all-stars of Mut, Amun, and Khonsu, stationed at the Temple of Mut in Thebes! The serious reveal: This temple, nestled within the Karnak Temple complex and its modern-day location in Luxor, was the hotspot for daily rituals, overseen by priestesses, and visited by badass pharaohs like Hatshepsut and Ramesses II. Mut herself reigned supreme, sporting the ever-fashionable double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt, and the goddess Ma'at's feather-adorned kicks.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

10. The Ramesseum: Pharaoh Production House

Putting the "ram" in Ramesseum, this colossal temple had more flair than a Broadway musical and housed its very own production crew: The Ramesseum in Thebes, built for Pharaoh Ramesses II, took 20 years to complete, boasted two stone pylons, a 48-column hypostyle hall, and an inner sanctuary, not to mention the storerooms, granaries, and workshops in its vast complex. Despite its opulence, time and natural forces led to its decay, but since 1991, French-Egyptian archaeologists have revived the spectacular venue, unearthing its hidden treasures.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

11. Karnak: Divine Real Estate Gold

You know how real estate agents always go on about "Location, location, location"? Well, the ancient Egyptians must've heard that once or twice, because they decided to create the biggest temple North of the South Pole: The Precinct of Amun-Re at Karnak in Thebes is the largest religious complex in the world, constructed by numerous pharaohs over the centuries, able to fit a whopping ten cathedrals inside its glorious walls. Talk about divine real estate investments!
Source => en.wikipedia.org

12. Party in the Theban Hills

Who needs a sleepy hill when you've got a party on a Theban Hill? You know, it's all about location: The Theban Hills, on the Nile's western bank, housed a massive necropolis with enormous private and royal cemeteries, as well as swanky funeral complexes - the Valley of the Kings was practically a VIP lounge for pharaohs like Tutankhamun and Ramesses II!
Source => en.wikipedia.org

13. Thebes: The Ultimate Socialite

If Thebes were a celebrity, it'd be described as a divine mingler who knows how to throw a good party and keeps friends with resources: The ancient Egyptian city was not only a religious hub, but it also had a booming economy thanks to its strategic position on the Nile, access to mineral wealth, and over sixty annual festivals that kept the good vibes flowing.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

14. Beautiful Festival: Dead Can Party Too!

Who says the dead can't party? Ancient Egyptians in Thebes sure had a way to rock the afterlife while keeping their gods happy too: The Beautiful Festival of the Valley was a grand procession led by the Pharaoh and various deities, where everyone, including civil officials, the general public, and even the deceased themselves (via steles) got in on the action, honoring god Amon of Karnak and reconnecting with ancestors over banquets in family tombs.
Source => landioustravel.com