In Luxor, Seeing Ancient Egypt Anew

Intimate river sailings and maximalist hotels are offering new ways to experience the Egyptian city’s riches

Yehia El Alaily

The water is cold and clear. Half-hidden amid the palm-tufted grounds of the Mortuary Temple of Seti I, this sacred sunken lake on Luxor's west bank was once the domain of ancient Egyptian priests. More than 3,000 years later, women from nearby villages still come, hoping its waters will serve as a fertility aid or a balm for their sick children, says my guide Ahmed Hassan, who was born and raised on this side of the Nile . It's one of the area's many miracles, he adds: No one knows where the water comes from, but it hasn't run dry since those priests of antiquity first bathed here.…