What to See at LUXOR TEMPLE

 

 

 

 

Luxor Temple is one of the most beautiful temples located on the East Bank of the River Nile in Luxor. However, a visit to the temple can be overwhelming as there is so much to see. 

 

What You Need to Know About Luxor Temple (Luxor Temple Facts)

 

 

 

 

  • The construction of the Luxor Temple was started by one of the great builders of ancient Egypt, Pharaoh Amenhotep III.  Another incredible project of Amenhotep III was the largest mortuary temple ever erected in Egypt and situated on the West Bank of the River Nile in Luxor. Today, what is left of this magnificent construction are two giant statues known as the Colossi of Memnon.


     
  • Pharaohs Tutankhamun, Horemheb, Merenpetah, Seti I, Ramses III, Ramses IV, Ramses VI, and even Alexander the Great incorporated many small additions to the Temple of Luxor. However, the major expansion effort took place during the reign of another great builder of ancient Egypt, Ramses II.

 

 

 

  • Luxor Temple was dedicated to Amon, king of the gods, his consort Mut, and their son Khons.
     
  • Gradually, through centuries, Luxor Temple got buried underneath silt from the River Nile. Sand, rubble, and trash accumulated on top of it to the extent that the Mosque of Abu Hggag was built on top of the temple in the 13th century AD.
     
  • The excavation of the Luxor Temple was started in 1884  by Professor Gaston Maspero. The excavations were carried out sporadically until 1960.

 

 

 

 

Luxor Temple, Ipet-rest “Southern Sanctuary” to the ancient Egyptians, was so called because of its location within ancient Thebes (modern Luxor). It is located around three kilometers to the south of Karnak Temple, to which it was once linked with a processional way bordered by sphinxes. The oldest evidence for this temple dates to the Eighteenth Dynasty (c.1550–1295 BC).