Howard Carter's house

Most visitors to the Valley of the Kings do not notice this small building at the beginning of the road leading to the valley. It is the house that Howard Carter lived in from 1922 until around 1931 when he finally finished clearing and cataloging Tutankhamen's tomb, and is now a museum devoted to his period here. It truly is a little gem for visitors and local people alike, but is not publicised as well as it should be.

Admission is 20EGP, and tickets can be obtained at the main West Bank ticket office. So, if you are thinking of visiting Luxor, remember to add this to your itinerary!

It is full of memorabilia of the time - even down to dark room equipment and copies of his diary and letters. The high spot of any visit is to see the ghostly image of Carter himself sitting on his actual desk in a 30 minute holograph presentation. There was a restaurant operated by Luxor's Winter Palace hotel until earlier this year, when, because of the downturn in tourism they did not decide to renew their contract.

The house was restored and opened in 2009, in the presence of the current Lord Carnavan and, of course, Zahi Hawass.