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Temple of Luxor

The Temple of Luxor is one of the most famous tourist attractions and the second biggest temple in Luxor, Egypt.

In Egypt “the pharaonic land” you can find a great number of historical destinations that attract many tourists from all over the world. One of the most important cities in Egypt is Luxor.

Because of the belief of the ancient Egyptians and the importance of the religion they imported to build the temples consecrated to their gods.

In Luxor, there are most of the monuments of Egypt. The city of Luxor is famous for its temples because it was the ancient capital of the New Empire and is considered a great open museum.

One of the important temples is the Temple of Luxor. The Temple of Luxor is considered the second largest temple in Egypt after the Temple of Karnak.

The History of the Temple of Luxor

The importance of Luxor’s “Ancient Thebes” was a threat since the Xth Dynasty and in the New Empire, it was the capital.

The Temple was built by the order of Amenophis III in 1400 BC. It is devoted to the worship of Thebes’ triad, the god Amon-Ra, his wife Mut, and his son Jonsu. Its architect was Amenhotep (the son of Hapu).

The construction was restarted during the period of Tutankhamon and Ay was completed the decoration of the walls.

In the kingdom of Ramses II, some constructions were added. The old parts were built by Amenophis III and Ramses II but the new ones were built by Shabako, Nectanebo I, and the Ptolemaic dynasty.

Alexander Mango renovated the temple and added a chapel of the boat of the god of the Temple.

The Excavation at the Temple

In 1885, the Frenchman Gaston Maspero began excavation work in this area of the Temple. In 1990 one of the most important discoveries was found, 66 new statues of the goddess Leona Sejmet that were transferred to the Museum of Luxor.

Temple Festival

At the Temple of Luxor, the feast of Opet was celebrated, where the god Amon was transferred by a sacred boat from the Temple of Karnak to the Temple of Luxor.

This festivity was in the second and third months of the flood season.

Construction of the Temple of Luxor

The Temple is in the heart of Thebes. The Temple of Luxor is 260 meters long and 50 meters wide. It is 10 thousand square meters.

At the entrance, there is a pylon built by Ramses II. There were also two obelisks of Ramses II, but at present, there is one on the left that is 25 m high and the other was moved to France in 1833.

The entrance is surrounded by six granite giants of Ramses II sitting on its lathe. The giants are 15.5 m high on a 1 m pedestal. There is also the court of Ramses II where there are statues of Osiris.

The three chapels that are dedicated to Thebes’ triad (Amon, Mut, and Jonsu), are located in the small temple of Thutmose III.

There is a colonnade 25 m high that leads to the court of Amenophis III. On the outside, there are walls decorated with chapels and walls have religious ceremonial scenes.

About the Luxor Temple

It is said that at the site of the Temple of Luxor was another temple dating back to the XIIth Dynasty of the Middle Empire.

The Temple of Luxor was called “Ipest-resit”. This Temple is connected to the Temple of Karnak with an avenue of sphinxes with a human head that was built by Nectanebo I.

In the Roman period, the temple was a military center, camp, and later an area of Christian worship that marked the end of the importance of this Temple.

Best Trips to Egypt by Jakada Tours Egypt

To enjoy an organized trip and visit the important temples of Luxor, Egypt by a cruise on the Nile between Luxor and Aswan, check our Egypt Vacation Packages and choose your trip.

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