New Qurna
Hassan Fathy's utopian mudbrick village, built in the 1940s and now half-forgotten between the Nile and the desert.
Hassan Fathy's mudbrick vaulted architecture in New Qurna village
Why people stay in New Qurna
New Qurna is one of the most important pieces of 20th-century Arab architecture, and almost no visitor sees it. Egyptian architect Hassan Fathy designed and built the village in the late 1940s to relocate the tomb-dwellers of Old Qurna, using traditional Nubian mudbrick vaulting and domes to prove that vernacular materials could produce beautiful, cheap, climate-appropriate housing. It failed as a resettlement scheme (residents mostly refused to move) but the mosque, market and cluster of demonstration houses still stand, some restored, some crumbling.
Stay here if you’re interested in architecture, urban history, or you just want somewhere really quiet on the West Bank without going full desert. Skip it if you want easy walking access to tombs — you’re about 4 km from the Ramesseum and further from anything else. The village itself has a scattering of small guesthouses, a couple of shops, and a slow rhythm. Evenings are spent watching swallows over the mudbrick domes.
A handful of guesthouses and small hotels ($30-$70), most of them owned by architecture enthusiasts who’ve deliberately based here. Al Baeirat and Beit Sabée are technically on the Al-Qurna side but sit close enough to walk. Avoid the very cheapest options unless you’re prepared for cold-water bucket showers — infrastructure in New Qurna is genuinely thin.
What to see
Hotels in New Qurna
Getting around New Qurna
Public ferry to Al-Gezira ($0.20) plus a shared taxi south to New Qurna ($3-$5), around 15 minutes. Direct from the airport via the southern bridge $25-$30, 35 minutes. Inside the village walking is the only option — no bikes for rent, no taxis waiting. Arrange transport in advance for early tomb visits.
Questions about New Qurna
For anyone interested in architecture, urban planning, or the history of vernacular building revival — yes, absolutely, it's a pilgrimage site. For a casual traveller with three days in Luxor, probably no — you’ll get more from Medinat Habu, Karnak, or the Valley of the Kings.
Yes. Take the public ferry, a taxi to New Qurna ($5-$8 one way), spend two hours walking the village and Fathy's key buildings, and combine with the Ramesseum or Medinat Habu on the return. Half a day covers it comfortably.
