Leaving Thebes

Finding his childhood obsessions with Egypt and the Valley of the Kings suddenly resurfacing, historian Tim Cooper decided that the only way to save his family from distraction was to set off one January morning for a week by the Nile at Luxor - ancient Thebes. Once there he followed in the footsteps of his heroes - Belzoni, Champollion and Howard Carter - and experienced first hand the intoxicating collision of ancient and modern Egypt which for so long had exercised his imagination. As well as being a vivid, humorous and often moving account of seven days spent in 'the world's greatest outdoor museum' Leaving Thebes is an inspirational meditation on middle age, mortality and the meaning of life.