The illustrations were made by David Roberts (1796 - 1864), a Scottish orientalist painter, member of the Royal Academy of Arts. From 1831 he traveled around Europe and the Middle East, painting landscapes characterized by topographical accuracy. Roberts used the technique of oil and watercolor, he also published books rich in illustrations. His best known publication is The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt and Nubia (six volumes from 1842-1849), from which the prints come.
The attached graphic shows a view of the ruins of Luxor from the Nile. Luxor is a city in southern Egypt, on the right bank of the Nile.The city's name literally means "city of palaces". Apparently, the Arab invaders from the 7th century, seeing all the temples, thought that they were royal palaces, hence the name. Luxor is one of the most popular cities in Egypt from a tourist point of view. The city is often called the world's largest open-air museum due to the ruins of the Karnak temple complex, the Luxor Temple, and the myriad of ancient statues, temples and crypts (including the Valley of the Kings) on the west bank of the Nile.