Located in a Necropolitan city, Ancient Thebes stands a beautiful temple showcasing the culture and heritage of forgotten riches. The city is named after the Luxor Temple, a historical precedent that remains etched into the heart of the city. Years of negligence had sunken the temple into the depths of Luxor under several barracks, stores, houses, huts, pigeon towers, a mosque, and a temple. Many also claim that this temple was buried under the impact of several earthquakes and disasters that occurred through centuries. It so happened that a professor named Gaston Maspero stumbled upon these ruins around 1884 and decided to unearth Luxor’s history through excavations that were carried out until 1960. Numerous statues and plaques were found that belonged to a powerful ruler, Amenhotep III. Most of the listed statues were of Gods and Goddesses carved out of red quartzite, alabaster, grey granite, and sandstone. One of the plaques made of black granite had a scene of Amenhotep III and King Thutmose IV presenting offerings to the God Amun. Pots made of limestone with engraving were also found.
The Luxor temple was built by Pharaoh Amenhotep III using Nubian sandstone for the God Amon Ra and Goddess Mut. The structures were built using a common technique in the Egyptian era where they played with heights using illusionism and symbolism. When one looks at the temple from afar, everything seems to be at an equal and proportionate scale. However, once we take a closer look at the obelisks, we realize that one of the obelisks is taller than the other. This was done to visually enhance the scale of the temple and the pathway leading to it. Today, only one of the obelisks stands on site while the other is located in Place De La Concorde in Paris!
The temple has its entrance adorned by two massive pylons consisting of high-relief statues of Amenhotep III, with a rectilinear opening that tapers to a great height in comparison with the human scale. Both the obelisks overpowered the pylons showcasing detailed inscriptions and decorative motifs. The entrance leads to a courtyard surrounded by smooth-shafted papyrus columns that were two rows deep on all sides. The hall is known as the ‘Sun Court of Rameses II’. On one of the walls, an interesting set of adornments has been made depicting the façade of the temple being approached by Ramesus’ sons, queen, princesses, and several sacrificial animals. We further into an enclosed space consisting of seven pairs of columns with calyx capitals which were dedicated to Amenhotep III himself. The walls of the hall were adorned with scenes from the Opet festival, an important procession that took place during those times. The enclosed hall then leads into a hypostyle hall similar to that of the Sun Court of Rameses II. Towards the end, lies a shrine where the sacred statue of the God Amun Ra rests. The shrine is surrounded by several storage spaces and priestly chambers branching out to houses that no longer remain. Each of these spaces had intricate relief work and decorative inscriptions narrating the story of God Amun Ra’s life.
Luxor temple was a place of worship for both Christians and Muslims. The temple is located at one end of the Avenue of Sphinxes with the Karnak temple on the other end. The avenue was lined with human-headed sphinxes along with six barque shrines that acted as ceremonial stations for the Gods during the procession of the Opet festival. The Opet festival was a procession that marked the marriage of the Gods Amun Ra and Mut. It also symbolized the connection between the Gods and Egyptians. The avenue was oriented in such a way that it closely connected the Luxor and Karnak temple with a sacred landscape.
Today, Luxor is considered one of the world’s greatest open-air museums with a fast-growing urban fabric around the heritage complex. The city has tourists bustling in and out of the temples, absorbing the beauty which lies in the historical remnants of this place. Residential complexes and religious structures add to the complexity of the city. Street markets are lined along the avenues to promote the culture and add liveliness to the place. An airport connects to the Luxor complex along with easy transportation facilities. Tourists can cross the river to arrive at the heritage site. A series of five-star hotels, glitzy shops, new routes, and an IMAX theatre is to be developed in the years to come. Luxor offers hot-balloon rides to tourists where one has a chance to experience the city through the bird’s eye view. Sound and light shows enhance the complex at night along with visual effects that take us back in time. Walking up the Avenue of Sphinxes to the Luxor temple, one seems to venture into a portal of the past.
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