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MARA HOUSE LUXOR
  • EGYPT TRAVEL ADVICE from Mara
  • MARA HOUSE LUXORExpand
    • Luxor Holidays – 3 night package deal
    • The Salahadeen Feast
    • Compare Mara House to 3 Top Tour Companies
    • Guests’ Photo Gallery – Mara House Luxor
    • Mara House Luxor – Hotel Gallery
    • Guest Book
  • TOURS in EGYPTExpand
    • TOURS IN LUXORExpand
      • Abydos and Dendera tour
      • Karnak Temple Tour
      • Luxor Temple Tour
      • Luxor Holidays – 3 night package deal
      • Luxor & Aswan
      • West Bank Tour – Valley of Kings etc.Expand
        • Medinet Habu: The Pharaoh’s Bargain with Chaos
    • TOURS IN CAIROExpand
      • PRIVATE ACCESS to the GREAT PYRAMID of GIZA
      • Abdeen Palace
      • Antiquities Museum at Tahrir Sq.
      • Cairo Basic Tour – 3 Nights
      • Coptic Cairo, Cave Church & Garbage City
      • Gayer Anderson Houses
      • Giza Plateau
      • Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM)
      • Ibn Tulun Medieval Mosque
      • Islamic Museum
      • Medieval Cairo
      • Saladin Citadel, Sultan Hassan and Rifaii Mosques
      • Saqqara 7-Step Pyramid & Serapeum
    • SMALL GROUP TOURS WITH MARAExpand
      • Family Tour of Egypt – A Child’s Eye View of Ancient Egypt
      • Egypt Tour with Mara – A Journey Beyond the Ordinary
    • First-Time in Egypt? Here’s the Perfect 7-Day Itinerary for You
    • Egypt – 9 nights incl Nile Cruise
    • 2027 Solar Eclipse Package – 11 nights
    • Insider Advice – Hidden Pitfalls in Tour Websites
  • TRANSFORMATIVE TRAVELExpand
    • PRIVATE ACCESS to the GREAT PYRAMID of GIZA – A Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience
    • Sacred Journey of Remembering Along Egypt’s Chakras
  • NOMADS! – Mara House: Your Home in Egypt
  • EGYPT HISTORY & CULTUREExpand
    • Egyptian Rulers & Legends
    • Cairo History & Heritage
    • Luxor History & Heritage
    • Gods of Egypt
    • Muhammad Ali Dynasty
  • Who is Mara?
  • Mara’s Blog
  • Contact Mara
MARA HOUSE LUXOR

Ancient Egypt

Back view of a woman in a flowing turquoise dress walking gracefully through the towering sandstone columns of Karnak Temple in Luxor, Egypt.
Mara House Updates & News

The Moment the Temple becomes the Library

ByMara 01/10/202501/10/2025

At Karnak, stone columns rise like shelves. In this moment, the temple becomes the library — and Egypt’s timeless pages unfold before me.

Read More The Moment the Temple becomes the LibraryContinue

Mid-1960s scene at Abu Simbel during the temple relocation: international engineers and Egyptian workers stand on scaffolding, discussing as a massive stone head of Queen Nefertari is suspended by a crane above her seated statue. Colossal statues of Ramses II are in the background under warm golden-hour desert light
Egyptian History & Culture

Ramses II: From Ozymandias to Abu Simbel’s Sun Miracle

ByMara 21/09/202501/10/2025

He loved her like a god, carving her face into temples, aligning the sun to kiss their statues — and, 3,000 years later, her stone head refused to fit until it gazed upon him, eternally watching over her king.

Read More Ramses II: From Ozymandias to Abu Simbel’s Sun MiracleContinue

Leanne exploring Abu Simbel temples, inspired by the love story of Ramses II and Nefertari
Egyptian History & Culture

Ramses II & Nefertari: Legacy, Love, and the Pharaoh Who Carved for Eternity

ByMara 19/09/202521/09/2025

He carved her face into temples, aligned the sun to kiss their statues, and prayed for her soul in eternity. In Egypt, His name was Ramses II and she was… Nefertari

Read More Ramses II & Nefertari: Legacy, Love, and the Pharaoh Who Carved for EternityContinue

Mara guiding her grandson and guests during a private visit inside the Pit of the Great Pyramid of Giza
Egypt Tours & Experiences

Private Great Pyramid Visits — Limited Dates 2025–2026

ByMara 15/09/202530/09/2025

Feel the hair on the back of your neck stand up as you step into the Great Pyramid without the crowds.  The hush is total — stone, shadow, and silence stretching deep into the passages. And then the thought comes: what am I doing here?  The smile fades — there is no one to watch,…

Read More Private Great Pyramid Visits — Limited Dates 2025–2026Continue

A small group of people standing in front of the sarcophagus in the dimly lit Kings Chamber of the Gt. Pyramid at Giza

PRIVATE ACCESS to the GREAT PYRAMID of GIZA – A Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience

Read More PRIVATE ACCESS to the GREAT PYRAMID of GIZA – A Once-in-a-Lifetime ExperienceContinue

Relief carving at Abydos Temple showing hieroglyphs that resemble a helicopter, submarine, and stealth fighter

Abydos and Dendera tour from Luxor

Read More Abydos and Dendera tour from LuxorContinue

A long, dramatic pathway stretching towards Karnak Temple, flanked on both sides by ancient ram-headed sphinx statues, symbolizing the protection of the god Amun.

Karnak Temple Tour

Read More Karnak Temple TourContinue

King Narmer explains his vision of a powerful, unified Egypt to artisans as they design the Narmer Palette
Transformative-Travel-Egypt

Narmer Palette: The Stone That Dreamed a Nation

ByMara 07/09/202501/10/2025

The Narmer Palette is more than carved stone. It is magic in action—Heka—the moment Egypt was dreamed into being. Carved around 3100 BCE, it shows Narmer uniting North and South, not only through conquest but through the creative power of intention, word, and image.

Read More Narmer Palette: The Stone That Dreamed a NationContinue

A twelve-year-old Egyptian girl speaks Heka to a blue amulet while her mother places another blue Wedjat eye amulet on her brother’s forehead during a fever, invoking the healing power of Heka
Transformative-Travel-Egypt

Heka: The Ancient Egyptian Magic That Still Shapes How We See, Behave, and Believe

ByMara 06/09/202512/09/2025

Heka was more than magic in ancient Egypt—it was the life force itself, the spoken word that shaped reality. A reflection on symbols, spirit, and timeless wisdom

Read More Heka: The Ancient Egyptian Magic That Still Shapes How We See, Behave, and BelieveContinue

Two rows of colossal statues of Ramses II at Luxor Temple, Egypt

Luxor Temple Tour

Read More Luxor Temple TourContinue

A woman in an a white dress walks a moonlit path towards the illuminated walls of Medinet Habu temple at night.
Luxor Travel & Accommodation

Walking Through the Nerve Center: A Guide to Medinet Habu’s Three Faces

ByMara 23/08/202501/10/2025

Medinet Habu is a temple, a royal palace, and a fortified stronghold. It was the stage for grand victory celebrations, daily life, and the brutal Harem Conspiracy. This is a guide to reading its stones and feeling its layered history.

Read More Walking Through the Nerve Center: A Guide to Medinet Habu’s Three FacesContinue

A cinematic recreation of daily life inside the bustling palace and temple complex of Medinet Habu during the reign of Pharaoh Ramses III, before the Harem Conspiracy.
Egyptian History & Culture

The Palace of Shadows: The Family of Ramses III Before the Storm

ByMara 22/08/202512/09/2025

Before the knife was drawn, there was a family, a court, and a community. This is the story of the people behind the harem conspiracy at Medinet Habu.

Read More The Palace of Shadows: The Family of Ramses III Before the StormContinue

A diverse group of 16 travelers and their Egyptian guide smiling in front of the massive, engraved pillars at the entrance of Medinet Habu Temple in Luxor.

Medinet Habu: The Pharaoh’s Bargain with Chaos

Read More Medinet Habu: The Pharaoh’s Bargain with ChaosContinue

An evocative representation of the Screaming Mummy, his features frozen in a final, agonized silence from the Harem Conspiracy.
Egyptian History & Culture

The Saga of RAMSES III, Medinet Habu Temple, and the ‘Screaming Mummy’

ByMara 31/08/202312/09/2025

Ramesses III, his son Pentawer, familial betrayal, murder, a mysterious mummy, shocking method of calculating soldiers’ pay, secret of the screaming mummy,

Read More The Saga of RAMSES III, Medinet Habu Temple, and the ‘Screaming Mummy’Continue

Ancient Egyptian Djed pillar amulet, representing stability and the backbone of Osiris
Transformative-Travel-Egypt

Lost Symbols of Egypt

ByMara 30/05/201312/09/2025

Reflections on the lost symbols of Egypt—the Djed, Tyet, and combined Ankh+Djed+Was—and how these amulets connect us to Heka magic, offering strength, focus, and a touch of the sacred in daily life.

Read More Lost Symbols of EgyptContinue

Pausing for breath during the climb from the Pit of the Great Pyramid, overwhelmed by the blissful energy of the ascent.

Private Pyramid Visit

Share your Cairo dates and I’ll let you know if I can fit you into a small group for a private visit inside the Great Pyramid, after dark.

maraegypt@gmail.com

No obligation

Recent Posts

  • The Moment the Temple becomes the Library 01/10/2025
  • The Click That Quieted the Fear 25/09/2025
  • Ramses II: From Ozymandias to Abu Simbel’s Sun Miracle 21/09/2025
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  • Egypt Tours & Experiences (25)
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  • Living in Egypt: Personal Insights (142)
  • Luxor Travel & Accommodation (26)
  • Mara House Updates & News (11)
  • Recommended Books, Films on Egypt (4)
  • Transformative-Travel-Egypt (52)
Mara - your host at Mara House Luxor standing outside the ornate wrought Iron door of Mara House Luxor
A personal moment at the door of Mara House — Mara seeing guests off with warmth and gratitude
  • EGYPT TRAVEL ADVICE from Mara
  • MARA HOUSE LUXOR
    • Luxor Holidays – 3 night package deal
    • The Salahadeen Feast
    • Compare Mara House to 3 Top Tour Companies
    • Guests’ Photo Gallery – Mara House Luxor
    • Mara House Luxor – Hotel Gallery
    • Guest Book
  • TOURS in EGYPT
    • TOURS IN LUXOR
      • Abydos and Dendera tour
      • Karnak Temple Tour
      • Luxor Temple Tour
      • Luxor Holidays – 3 night package deal
      • Luxor & Aswan
      • West Bank Tour – Valley of Kings etc.
        • Medinet Habu: The Pharaoh’s Bargain with Chaos
    • TOURS IN CAIRO
      • PRIVATE ACCESS to the GREAT PYRAMID of GIZA
      • Abdeen Palace
      • Antiquities Museum at Tahrir Sq.
      • Cairo Basic Tour – 3 Nights
      • Coptic Cairo, Cave Church & Garbage City
      • Gayer Anderson Houses
      • Giza Plateau
      • Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM)
      • Ibn Tulun Medieval Mosque
      • Islamic Museum
      • Medieval Cairo
      • Saladin Citadel, Sultan Hassan and Rifaii Mosques
      • Saqqara 7-Step Pyramid & Serapeum
    • SMALL GROUP TOURS WITH MARA
      • Family Tour of Egypt – A Child’s Eye View of Ancient Egypt
      • Egypt Tour with Mara – A Journey Beyond the Ordinary
    • First-Time in Egypt? Here’s the Perfect 7-Day Itinerary for You
    • Egypt – 9 nights incl Nile Cruise
    • 2027 Solar Eclipse Package – 11 nights
    • Insider Advice – Hidden Pitfalls in Tour Websites
  • TRANSFORMATIVE TRAVEL
    • PRIVATE ACCESS to the GREAT PYRAMID of GIZA – A Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience
    • Sacred Journey of Remembering Along Egypt’s Chakras
  • NOMADS! – Mara House: Your Home in Egypt
  • EGYPT HISTORY & CULTURE
    • Egyptian Rulers & Legends
    • Cairo History & Heritage
    • Luxor History & Heritage
    • Gods of Egypt
    • Muhammad Ali Dynasty
  • Who is Mara?
  • Mara’s Blog
  • Contact Mara
Mara - Mara House Luxor

Meet Mara

Hi, I’m Mara — the heart behind Mara House Luxor.

Over twenty years ago, I came to Egypt on an ordinary tour. It could have been so much better. And so, over time I created the kind of memorable experiences that I should have had. If you want to know more about the face behind the website, stories and business, click on Who is Mara.

You can book everything directly with me via email. I respond to all emails personally: maraegypt@gmail.com

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Please note that some pages and posts contain affiliate links to Amazon.  If you make a purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you. Rest assured, I only endorse products I’ve personally used and would recommend to a friend.

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  • EGYPT TRAVEL ADVICE from Mara
  • MARA HOUSE LUXOR
    • Luxor Holidays – 3 night package deal
    • The Salahadeen Feast
    • Compare Mara House to 3 Top Tour Companies
    • Guests’ Photo Gallery – Mara House Luxor
    • Mara House Luxor – Hotel Gallery
    • Guest Book
  • TOURS in EGYPT
    • TOURS IN LUXOR
      • Abydos and Dendera tour
      • Karnak Temple Tour
      • Luxor Temple Tour
      • Luxor Holidays – 3 night package deal
      • Luxor & Aswan
      • West Bank Tour – Valley of Kings etc.
        • Medinet Habu: The Pharaoh’s Bargain with Chaos
    • TOURS IN CAIRO
      • PRIVATE ACCESS to the GREAT PYRAMID of GIZA
      • Abdeen Palace
      • Antiquities Museum at Tahrir Sq.
      • Cairo Basic Tour – 3 Nights
      • Coptic Cairo, Cave Church & Garbage City
      • Gayer Anderson Houses
      • Giza Plateau
      • Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM)
      • Ibn Tulun Medieval Mosque
      • Islamic Museum
      • Medieval Cairo
      • Saladin Citadel, Sultan Hassan and Rifaii Mosques
      • Saqqara 7-Step Pyramid & Serapeum
    • SMALL GROUP TOURS WITH MARA
      • Family Tour of Egypt – A Child’s Eye View of Ancient Egypt
      • Egypt Tour with Mara – A Journey Beyond the Ordinary
    • First-Time in Egypt? Here’s the Perfect 7-Day Itinerary for You
    • Egypt – 9 nights incl Nile Cruise
    • 2027 Solar Eclipse Package – 11 nights
    • Insider Advice – Hidden Pitfalls in Tour Websites
  • TRANSFORMATIVE TRAVEL
    • PRIVATE ACCESS to the GREAT PYRAMID of GIZA – A Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience
    • Sacred Journey of Remembering Along Egypt’s Chakras
  • NOMADS! – Mara House: Your Home in Egypt
  • EGYPT HISTORY & CULTURE
    • Egyptian Rulers & Legends
    • Cairo History & Heritage
    • Luxor History & Heritage
    • Gods of Egypt
    • Muhammad Ali Dynasty
  • Who is Mara?
  • Mara’s Blog
  • Contact Mara