First in 1872 with his family as a 14 year old child who was deeply interested in its nature and history. His family spent 2 months travelling on the Nile and he visited Luxor.
Second, in 1910 after he retired as President and spent over year in Africa and travelled from Khartoum to Luxor when this photograph was taken:
I’ve just finished a biography/history of Roosevelt and his protégé and successor Taft. Its long winded but interesting and well reviewed in serious newspapers and by academics. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/17/books ... ulpit.html
It proves that the Trump phenomenon of populism, the cult of personality and rejection of elites and (apparent) vested interests is far from new in US politics and illustrates the then new and powerful role of journalists and that Roosevelt was the first US President to aggressively engage with the press. On the other hand Roosevelt was intelligent, literate, moral, not super rich, consultative and generally had good judgment but was a somewhat unstable personality.
Conspicuous by their absence are similar Egyptian histories and biographies that gain any credibility with experts of any persuasion.
There was a time when intelligent and powerful people felt a need to visit Luxor. Alas their visits and the publicity they generated attracted hordes who have turned it into a low rent, dysfunctional, Disneyland (although Disneyland makes a dollar). Less than capable local government also probably hasn’t helped Luxor.
