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25°41′N 32°38′E · Luxor & Ancient Thebes, Upper Egyptالعربية
Luxor101Plan your trip

Can I take photographs inside the tombs and temples, and what are the rules?

Photography in Luxor

Check the current rules for the site and for each room before taking photographs. Personal photography, professional work, flash and tripods may be treated differently. Follow posted restrictions, keep flash off in painted interiors and ask if anything is unclear. The official pages listed below allow mobile-phone photography. That does not settle rules for other equipment or every interior.

Equipment and permissions

Ask about your actual equipment and purpose: a phone, a camera, a tripod or a professional shoot may fall under different arrangements. Check the official guidance and the signs at the site, and clarify any permit before buying it.

Inside painted tombs

Inside a painted tomb, keep flash off and do not touch or lean on the walls for a steadier photograph. Stay within barriers and leave room for other visitors. If photography is restricted, put the camera away and enjoy looking.

Light on outdoor reliefs

For outdoor reliefs, angled light can bring out the carving better than harsh overhead sun. The useful hour depends on which way a wall faces, so there is no single best time for every scene.

Photographing people

Ask permission before photographing people, and accept a refusal. For children, ask a parent or guardian as well. Respect worshippers at Abu el-Haggag Mosque and follow the arrangements for the mosque separately from those for the archaeological site.

Drones and image permissions

Check national requirements before considering drone use; a site ticket is not permission to fly. For publication, make sure you also have the rights and any permissions needed to use an image.

About our images

Our image credits distinguish photographs from drawings and diagrams. We do not present an illustration as a record of a site visit.

Phone photography by site

Official online sources checked on 19 September 2026. This was a source check, not a field visit.

Phone photography listed as free

The sites below share this published phone rule. Each room may have its own restrictions; check at the site before using other equipment.

This changes. The online check covers published mobile-phone rules only. Follow current restrictions in each room and confirm permits for other equipment.

Sources & further reading17
Tier 1Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities — visitor information: opening times, ticketing and site accessMinistry of Tourism and Antiquities (Egypt)
Tier 1The conservation of the wall paintings in the tomb of NefertariGetty Conservation InstituteOnline source checked
Tier 1Karnak — published visitor informationMinistry of Tourism and Antiquities — official ticket serviceOfficial page indexed · checked
Tier 1Karnak — Ministry monument recordMinistry of Tourism and AntiquitiesOnline source checked
Tier 1Luxor Temple — published visitor informationMinistry of Tourism and Antiquities — official ticket serviceOfficial page indexed · checked
Tier 1Valley Of The Kings — published visitor informationMinistry of Tourism and Antiquities — official ticket serviceOfficial page indexed · checked
Tier 1Valley Of The Kings — ticket categoriesMinistry of Tourism and Antiquities — official ticket serviceOfficial page indexed · checked
Tier 1Temple Of Hatshepsut — published visitor informationMinistry of Tourism and Antiquities — official ticket serviceOfficial page indexed · checked
Tier 1Deir al-Bahari — Ministry monument recordMinistry of Tourism and AntiquitiesOnline source checked
Tier 1Valley Of The Queens — published visitor informationMinistry of Tourism and Antiquities — official ticket serviceOfficial page indexed · checked
Tier 1Nefertari tomb — Ministry notice, November 2024Ministry of Tourism and AntiquitiesOfficial page indexed · checked
Tier 1Deir El Medina — published visitor informationMinistry of Tourism and Antiquities — official ticket serviceOfficial page indexed · checked
Tier 1Deir El Medina — ticket categoriesMinistry of Tourism and Antiquities — official ticket serviceOfficial page indexed · checked
Tier 1Ramesseum — published visitor informationMinistry of Tourism and Antiquities — official ticket serviceOfficial page indexed · checked
Tier 1Luxor Museum — published visitor informationMinistry of Tourism and Antiquities — official ticket serviceOfficial page indexed · checked
Tier 1Tombs Of The Nobles — published visitor informationMinistry of Tourism and Antiquities — official ticket serviceOfficial page indexed · checked
Tier 1Tombs Of The Nobles — ticket categoriesMinistry of Tourism and Antiquities — official ticket serviceOfficial page indexed · checked

Source review is incomplete. Consultation dates are shown only for checked references.