Thebais

Thebais is the ancient Egyptian geographic region centered on the city of Thebes (Waset) in Upper Egypt. It lies along the Nile Valley, and its exact boundaries shifted over time, but it broadly encompassed the area around Thebes and its western necropolis. The name Thebais is Greek in origin; the Egyptians called the region Waset, and Thebes was its principal city.

Thebais was a cultural and religious heartland for much of ancient Egyptian history, especially during the Middle and New Kingdoms when Thebes served as a political power center at various times. The city’s religious life was dominated by the cult of Amun, with the temple complex at Karnak becoming one of ancient Egypt’s largest sacred sites. The Luxor Temple on the east bank connected Karnak with Thebes itself, serving ceremonial and symbolic functions. The Theban area also contained a significant mortuary landscape on the west bank, including the royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens, as well as prominent temples such as Deir el-Bahri, associated with Hatshepsut.

Following the waning of Thebes as a political capital, Thebais remained important as a religious and cultural center, and its monuments influenced Egyptian and Mediterranean civilizations. In modern times, the area has been a focus of archaeology and tourism, yielding extensive knowledge about royal burial practices, temple construction, and the economy that supported one of ancient Egypt’s longest-lived cult centers. The Theban monuments continue to be central to studies of ancient Egyptian religion, governance, and daily life.