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Thebes also became prominent because it was the cult center of the god Amun, who became the national god of Egypt for most of the New Kingdom (c. 1550-1075 BC). After the New Kingdom collapsed, Thebes retained some of its importance during the Late Period due to its close proximity to Nubia, but it was a shadow of its former glory.

[[File: DeirelBahri.jpg|300px|thumbnail|left|Hatshepsut’s (ruled 1473-1458 BC) Mortuary Temple at Deir el-Bahari, Just West of Thebes]]

It is not known for sure when Thebes was founded, but by the Old Kingdom (c. 2686-2181 BC) it was just a minor provincial town. The ancient Egyptians knew Thebes in their own language as <i>Waset</i>, which was symbolized by the <i>Was</i> scepter, or they simply called it <i>Niut</i>, “the City.” The name “Thebes” is actually what the Greeks and then the Romans called it in the first millennium. <ref> Shaw, Ian, and Paul Nicholson. <i>The Dictionary of Ancient Egypt.</i> (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1995), pgs. 287-7</ref> The modern city of Luxor is situated on top of much of the ancient city, although the vast Karnak Temple is on the northern edge of the city, and the Luxor Temple is in the middle of Luxor. Just to the west of Luxor, across the Nile River, are many more ancient temples and the Valley of the Kings, which the ancient Egyptians considered part of Waset.