Luxor is on the
site of Thebes, the capital of Egypt
during the time of the New Kingdom and a city dedicated
to the god Ammon-Ra. The vast number of monuments are divided between the East
Bank of the Nile (city of the living) and the West
Bank of the Nile (City of the Dead)
The Temple of Karnak
The Temple of Karnak
is one of the largest in the world, containing within it Great Temple of Amon-re, the Temple of Khonso, the Ipt temple, the temple of Ptah, the temple of Montho and the temple of god Oisiris. Facing the entrance to the temple is a
boulevard lined with ram headed sphinxes. Within the complex, one can find
numerous courtyards, sanctuaries, columns, obelisks, and walls painted with
hieroglyphs.
Before leaving Karnak you should visit the Sacred Lake which goes back to the time of Tuhtmosis III. It measures 80 m in
length and 40 m in width. Near the Sacred Lake is a scarab which is considered the biggest scarab left from Ancient
Egypt. It dates back to the reign of Amenhotep III.
Luxor Temple
The Luxor Temple
is one of the most beautiful in Egypt.
It runs along the bank of the Nile, north to south. It
was built by the Pharaoh Amenhotep III
and consecrated to Ammon in his fertility aspect Ammon-Min. Ramses II added the
front part and completed the temple. He added the present large forecourt
and a Pylon at the northern front of the temple. Many more small additions were
done by Kings Merenpetah, Seti I, Ramsis III, Ramses IV,
RamsesVI. Alexander the Great rebuilt the Sanctuary.
Like the more famous
Temple of Karnak, the Luxor Temple is fronted by an avenue lined with sphinxes.
The temple itself is a series of colonnades and chambers with covered with
reliefs. Note also the two obelisks in front of the Great Pylon of Ramses II.
Valley of the Kings
The Valley of the Kings was a royal cemetery,
consisting of a number of underground tombs dug in an out of the way,
inaccessible place to discourage tomb robbers. There are about sixty two tombs,
including the famous one of Pharaoh Tutankhamen,
discovered in the early 20th Century and having contained an immense
amount of treasure, now displayed in the Egyptian Museum. Some of the recommended tombs, for their
well preserved hieroglyphs and other art, include those of Ramses 6th, Amenhotep II, Thutmose, Ramses IX, and
Mernpatah.
Hatshepsut Temple at Elder EL-Bahari
This temple, built
of limestone, is dedicated to the 18th Dynasty Queen Hatshepsut and
serves as her tomb. The temple is also a sanctuary to the god Ammon-Ra. The
temple consists of three raising imposing terraces. The two lower ones would
have been full of trees in ancient times. On the southern end of the first
colonnade there are some scenes among them the famous scene of the
transportation of Hatshepsut’s two obelisks. The second and third terraces are
accessible by ramps. There are more scenes depicting the life of the Queen,
including a famous expedition she commissioned to the Land of Punt (modern Somalia.) There is also a shrine to the goddess
Hathor and one for the god of the dead, Anubus.
Colossi of Mennon
The colossi of Mennon are huge sandstone representations of Amenhotep III and were likely in front of his
tomb, which was destroyed in ancient times. The colossi are the first things
one will see on a visit to the west bank of the Nile at Luxor. The Greeks named the statues after the hero
Mennon, who was killed by Achilles in the Trojan War.