Luxor Temple
Luxor Temple On the East bank of the Nile River, in the south of Egypt,
the World’s Largest Outdoor Museum, Luxor city, contains one of the most
beautiful temple standing. The Luxor Temple is a mark of Ancient Egyptian civilization,
a strikingly graceful monument in the heart of modern Luxor.
Different than other temples in Luxor, the Luxor temple was not built in adoration
to a god or to a god figure of the kings and pharaohs; instead, Luxor Temple was
built in dedication to the rejuvenation of kingship. Many kings might have had
their crowning at the Temple of Luxor, whether crowned in reality or conceptually
as in the case of Alexander the Great, who claimed he was crowned at Luxor although
facts contradict appear that he had never traveled south of Memphis which is considered the modern city of Cairo.
Luxor Temple
In the Egyptian language, the Luxor Temple is known as ipet resyt which means
the southern sanctuary; its main function was during the annual Opet festivals.
At these festivals, the statues of Amun, Mut, and Khonsu were moved from Karnak,
along the Avenue of Sphinxes, and reunited here during the inundation.
Where its located?
Luxor Temple is located in the historic city of Luxor, which is the modern
name of the ancient Thebes. The temple of Luxor is one of the best-preserved
of all of the ancient monuments containing large amounts of structure,
statuary, and relief carvings that are still intact to this day,
making it one of the most impressive places to visit in the Luxor area and all of Egypt.
When was the Luxor Temple built?
The temple was built in 1400 BCE during Egypt’s New Kingdom.
Who constructed the Luxor Temple?
Pharaoh Amenhotep III, one of the great builders of ancient Egypt,
was responsible for starting the construction of the Luxor temple during the
New Kingdom (1390-1352 BC) following by Tutankhamun (1336-27 BC),
then Horemheb (1323-1295 BC), and then finished by Rameses II (1279-13 BC).
The appears to be one of the many projects that Ramesses II
commissioned during his long reign. Ramesses II also repurposed many
existing monuments to add to his own reputation. The statuary and
carvings that decorate the temple today mainly feature Ramses II.
What the Luxor Temple made out of?
The construction of sandstone blocks from Nubia.
The temple surrounded by mud-brick walls which symbolize the separation
between the world and the sacred realm of the gods. The Temple’s design
during the New Kingdom exhibited a set of common design features in
the construction of the temple. displays many of the
features typical of temple construction known during the New Kingdom.
Luxor Temple Construction
it’s one of the most famous temples around Luxor.
the complex contains several pylons that can reach 70 yards long.
In front of the temple is the beginning of the Avenue of Sphinxes.
It ran all the way to the Karnak Temple for 3 kilometers to the north.
The avenue is currently under excavation, but the section nearest to has already been restored.
It contains a peristyle courtyard that dates back to Amenhotep.
It holds the best-preserved columns on the eastern side while the southern
side made up of 32 columns. They lead to the inner sanctums that were
used as a chapel during Roman times. also holds
a birth shrine built by Amenhotep III and a barque shrine that used
by Amun built by Alexander. Ramses II constructed a pylon which shows
two towers at the height of 24m and a wide of 65m. decorated military expeditions and victory at the battle of Kadesh.
Visiting it
The Temple’s location is in the heart of it which makes it a very easy site
to visit at almost any time of the day. Even when it is not open to visitors,
its visible during a stroll down the Nile corniche or through downtown
We recommend visiting the temple around sunset. The complex is
beautifully lit in order to highlight the relief carvings as the light
wanes and the columns emblazoned against the evening sky making it for an incredible photo opportunity.