The Luxor Temple is one of Egypt’s oldest and most beautiful structures, especially in Luxor. It shows how beautiful and powerful the Pharaohs were. The influence of the will and its part in building this great monument made Ibn Habu king of Amenhotep from 1391 to 1353 BC.
Luxor Temple is on the east bank of the Nile River and is a popular place for tourists interested in the pharaohs’ culture and history.
The Temple of Luxor showed how the pharaohs thought back then and how they should have worked—changes in history and politics.
The Luxor Temple had two vast and beautiful obelisks mostly made there. One was in Luxor, and the other was stolen and later found in Paris at the Place de la Concorde.
They also found the king’s writing on the Temple’s first door. These writings told about the history and culture of the Pharaohs, the life of King Ramesses II, and how he won the Battle of Kadesh. Six statues were on the doors, and a professional built each of the 72 pillars.
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Description of the Luxor Temple in Egypt
The temple complex is located in the city of Luxor on the banks of the Nile. In ancient times, the capital of the country of the pharaohs was located here.
On the Temple in Luxor example, you can get acquainted with the architecture of the New Kingdom. He was characterized by arrogance, boasting, and strict restraint.
The scale of the complex is impressive: its length from the entrance to the northern wall is 260 m. The towers at the entrance to the Luxor Temple are 20 m high and 70 m long at the base.
At the entrance, you can see two majestic statues of Ramses, which were left of the six originally placed there. Also, near the entrance to the Luxor Temple, there is an obelisk made of pink granite.
One of the famous attractions of the temple complex is the alley of sphinxes, which leads to the main entrance of the building. Previously, it was called the “Sacred Way.” This road connected the Luxor Temple with the Temple of Karnak, and 1350 sphinxes were installed.
Through the narrow gateway of the tower, one can get into the courtyard, along the perimeter of which a colonnade rises. On the eastern part of the arcade, at a height of about 8 m from the ground, there are the remains of a mosque.
Behind the colonnade is another older courtyard. In its southern part, you can see the inner Temple, which leads to a hypostyle hall with 32 columns. The walls of the inner Temple are decorated with Egyptian carvings.
On top of it is stucco from the Roman period. During the time of Ancient Rome, a chapel was located here, where the local population renounced their faith and accepted the religion of the state.
Next is a temple built by Alexander the Great. Ancient paintings on its walls depict the Sun God. The Luxor Temple in Luxor still holds many secrets. And now, not all of its mysteries have been solved. Scientists are sure that many amazing discoveries of this complex are ahead of us.
The Legacy of the Temple of Luxor Egypt
This Temple may be the main reason why Luxor is called “the largest open-air museum in the world.” It is located in the middle of the modern part of the city, which was built on the site of the ancient Egyptian capital, Thebes.
The Temple is one of the oldest and best-preserved buildings in Egypt. Many rooms, parts of buildings, and bas-reliefs are still there, making it one of the most exciting places in Luxor and Egypt.
The beauty of the Place is also enhanced by the natural environment in which it is found. Few places in Egypt show Egypt’s fascinating past as vividly and directly as the Valley of the Kings.
Amenhotep III and Ramesses II and the construction of the Temple of Luxor:
Amenhotep III, one of the most active pharaohs of ancient Egypt in architecture, built the Temple during the New Kingdom, which lasted from 1390 BC to 1352 BC. Amenhotep III loved civilization and architectural development and always wanted to improve Egypt’s capital and city infrastructure.
Not only did Ramesses II build a lot, but he also improved and reused many monuments to enhance his reputation. This pharaoh did many different things, but the statues and bas-reliefs that adorn the Temple are mostly his work.
The most famous buildings in the city are the Luxor Temple and the Karnak Temple, and both are on the eastern bank of the Nile. In the past, the two sites were linked by an avenue of sphinxes about 30 km long.
This street is being excavated, but the part closest to Luxor Temple has already been repaired.
The Temple is a means of entertainment in ancient history:
It’s easy to get to the Temple at any time of the day because it’s right in the middle of Luxor. You can see it walking along the Nile or from the city’s center even when closed. We recommend going to the Temple at sunset or at night when the moon is out.
The lighting beautifully shows the relief sculptures on the building’s walls at night.
During the New Kingdom, Luxor Temple was dedicated to the Theban triad of Amon, Mut, and Khonsu. It was also the site of Opet’s annual feast, where an Amon statue was moved from the nearby Karnak Temple along the Nile as part of a fertility rite.
In the 14th century BC, when Amenhotep III was king, work on the Temple began. Haremhab and Tutankhamun added columns and statues, but Ramses II made the most critical changes about 100 years after the work started. The Temple of Luxor is the only crucial Egyptian temple complex where only two rulers’ names are written on the buildings.
Interesting Facts
In ancient Egypt, the Opet Festival was held yearly – a celebration of the marriage of Amun and the goddess Mut. It was celebrated with a magnificent procession. Small flat-bottomed boats carrying the image of the divine spouses and their sons were transported from the Karnak temple to Luxor along the Sphinx.
Initially, at the entrance to the Temple, there were two obelisks made of pink granite. But at the beginning of the nineteenth century, the ruler of Egypt presented one to the King of France. It was an unequal exchange of gifts: the king gave a French clock for the obelisk. It is known that the watch was not quite working.
In 2018, the Luxor Temple was once again delighted with this discovery. In the alley of the Sphinx, they found a statue of a lion with a human head, and its appearance resembled the giant Sphinx near the Cairo pyramids.
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Conclusion on Luxor Temple
Luxor Temple is probably one of the most famous places in Egypt, right next to the Karnak Temple. There were two builders: Amenhotep III. and Ramesses II. However, buildings from the era of Hatshepsut and even from the Middle Kingdom seem to be present in Egypt.
The total length of the Temple is more than 250 m. Dedicated to the god Amun, the divine origin of the pharaoh was celebrated here. With its ground plan, the Luxor Temple emphasizes the idea of a festival temple. It was the background for the deity’s path in processions such as the Opet Festival, the Knot Festival, and the Valley Festival.
