Saqiya, or water-wheel. Al Uqsur and Karnak village, Egypt

During his trip to egypt, Elisofon visited Thebes, an ancient city of Upper Egypt, spanned the Nile River about 400 miles south of modern Cairo. The east bank is the site of modern Luxor (Al Uqsur) and El Karnak, and was formerly the city of the living, with great temples and residences. On the west bank was the city of the dead, containing the valleys of the royal tombs, royal mortuary temples, and the houses of priests and workers devoted to the dead. The Egyptians called the city Wase, and later Nowe. The ancient Greeks called it Thebes, probably because it reminded them of their own Thebes, with its large gates. It was destroyed by the Romans in 29 BCE. Today the area is an archaeological site. [The J. P. Getty Fund: Thesaurus of Geographical Names]. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for American Institute of Architects, directing the Egyptian portion of the documentary on Ancient Egypt, March 1965 and September 1965.