Revering the Spectacular Temple of Luxor
Egyptian Temples & Tombs | admin | February 26, 2010 at 1:50 amThe Temple of Luxor, a great Ancient Egyptian complex, is sprinkled on the east bank of the Nile in the Luxor city that
was once the ancient Thebes. Discovered in 1400 B.C.E and regarded as ipet resyt (the southern sanctuary), the temple is devoted to the Theban Triad of Amun, Mut, and Chons. Made at the reign of the New Kingdom, the earliest structures are yet surviving that include the barque chapels behind the first pylon (monumental gateway) constructed by Hatshepsut and then by Tuthmosis III. Ramses II constructed the pylon (the large wall), two obelisks (only one is seen), and six self statues.
Prime Attractions
Avenue of Sphinxes
Nectanebo built the sphinxes and reinstated the ram-headed sphinxes of Amenhotep III. This path covers 2 miles linking the Temple of Luxor and the Karnak Temple and forms the entrance to the temple from the north. The avenue is also known as the ‘Sacred Way’.
First Pylon
The real temple starts with the 24-m high First Pylon constructed by Ramesses II. Decoration on the pylon includes the scenes of Ramesses’s army victories, in specific the Battle of Qadesh, and later pharaohs of the Nubian and Ethiopian dynasties.
Colossal Statues
There were total six colossal statues of Ramesses at this main entrance of the Temple of Luxor – four in seating position and two in standing pose. Now, two seated ones can be seen.
Obelisks
Originally two in the entrance of the Temple of Luxor, now only one pink granite obelisk remains that forms a landmark for identifying the temple from the front. The second one was supplied to King Louis V for a currently non-functioning clock in 1874 and is now in the Concorde Square of Paris. Actually, even the currently standing obelisk was in the agreement, but it was very difficult to uproot it.
Courtyard
After passing the pylon gateway, the peristyle courtyard built by Ramesses II is seen. This region along with the pylon was made to rest at an oblique angle to hold the three pre-existing barque shrines in the northwest. On the upper part of the columns of the courtyard, the Abu Haggag Mosque was constructed.
Feast of Opet Panel
The Temple of Luxor was the sacred place for the Festival of Opet whose memories are now seen on the west wall of the court in form of block by block pictures. One can see the acrobats of the festival on the walls too. Herein, the god Amun (Amun-Re) used to come from the Karnak Temple to meet his consort in this temple. This feast was of 13 days in the Old Kingdom period, while in the New Kingdom, it was extended to 22 to 23 days..
Court of Amenhotep III
Amenhotep built this inner court in the 14th century wherein the columns are, even today, well preserved than the columns of Ramses II (13th century B.C). It is said that the reign of Amenhotep III’s era witnessed the golden age.
Inner Sanctums
Starting with a dark entrance, herein, you will find the Roman stuccoes on the top of the below Egyptian carvings. This is a sacred area since the Roman times when it was a chapel. Going further, a Barque Shrine utilized by Amun was built by Alexander as the personal chamber of the gods.
Timings are Oct-Apr: 6 am – 9 pm; May-Sept: 6 am – 10 pm; Ramadan: 6 am – 6:30 pm, and 8 – 11 pm. Fees are £E35 (student £E20).
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The earliest parts of the temple still standing are the barque chapels, just behind the first pylon. They were built by Hatshepsut, and appropriated by Tuthmosis III. The main part of the temple – the colonnade and the sun court were built by Amenhotep III, and a later addition by Rameses II, who built the entrance pylon, and the two obelisks (one of which was taken to France, and is now at the centre of the Place de la Concorde) linked the Hatshepsut buildings with the main temple.