Temple of Luxor - History, Tips, Tickets of Luxor Temple

The Luxor Temple is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the Nile River in the city today known as Luxor and was constructed approximately 1400 BCE. In the Egyptian language it was known as ipet resyt, "the southern sanctuary"

Who Built Luxor Temple In Egypt?

King Amenhotep III built the largest part of Luxor Temple, with some additions from other kings, such as the kings of the 18th Dynasty (Tutankhamun, King Ay, and King Horemheb). Some kings of the 19th Dynasty also participated in the construction of the New Kingdom, such as (King Seti I, King Ramesses II, King Merneptah, and King Seti II). The kings of the 20th Dynasty, such as King Ramesses III, IV, and VI, also participated in the construction of Luxor Temple. Finally, the kings of the Late Period, such as King Nekhnebo I and Alexander the Great, also participated in the construction of Luxor Temple.

What Was Amenhotep III known For?

Amenhotep III was the son of King Thutmose IV and his Mitannian wife, Mutemwia. Amenhotep III married a commoner, TY, and made her his primary wife. He gave birth to Akhenaten, who take over the throne after his father, King Amenhotep III. Amenhotep III ruled Egypt for about 38 years. He was inclined toward peace, luxury, and pleasure. He was not like his ancestors, the kings, who launched conquests to consolidate Egypt's control over the kingdoms of Asia. The empire shrank during his reign. He built the Temple of Amun on the East Bank of Thebes, a tomb in the Valley of the Kings, and a funerary temple on the West Bank. He built the third pylon of the Karnak Temple. He was assisted in implementing his architectural and artistic projects by the engineer Amenhotep Ibn Hapu.

Luxor Temple Location In Egypt

Luxor Temple is located south of Karnak Temple, east of Thebes or Luxor.

Luxor Temple Fun Facts

The Luxor Temple was named (Ipet -Reset) In the hieroglyphic language , and the word Ipet means temple, private palace, holy of holies, or the place where the royal harem was located in the palace. The Luxor Temple represented all the previous meanings, as it was a temple where Amun, his wife Mut, and their son the god Khonsu were worshipped. It included shrines and sanctuaries, and also represented a private palace where Amun met with his wife Mut every year in a large celebration commemorating the sacred marriage. Amun, Mut, and Khonsu moved from the Karnak Temple, which represented the official seat of the god and the palace of government, to the Luxor Temple once a year and stayed there for a certain period. He stayed for 11 days in the 18th Dynasty, 23 days in the 19th Dynasty, and 27 days in the 20th Dynasty. This temple represented the wedding palace where the god celebrated with his wife, and it was a place for the harem. Thus, the Luxor Temple was a temple and a private palace where Amun would seclude himself with his wife, who was a lady from the harem.

Why Is Luxor Temple Called By This Name In Egypt

The word “southern” refers to the geographical location of the temple, and with the presence to the south, the Arabs called this temple Luxor because the temple contained huge rooms and connections that resemble fractures.

Luxor Temple History

King Amenhotep III gave his architect Amenhotep Ibn Hapu the orders to start the foundation of the Temple of (Ipet-Resit), i.e. Luxor Temple, which he began building from the inside out. The king died before the front part of the temple was completed, which was a long corridor with two rows of columns. Work on the temple stopped during the reign of Akhenaten, who erased the name and inscriptions of the god Amun from the temple. After that, King Akhenaten died and the religion of Amun returned as the official religion of the state. King Tutankhamun completed this corridor, then King Horemheb after him. King Seti I, King Merneptah, King Seti II and King Ramses IV added to it. Ramses II built a pylon in front of the temple and a colonnade behind it. He placed six statues and two obelisks in front of it. The length of the temple reached 256 meters after the addition of Ramses II.

The Story Of Building The Luxor Temple

There are two very important reasons for building the Luxor Temple. The first reason is that King Amenhotep III wanted to express his loyalty to the god Amun, his wife, their son, and most of the Egyptian gods depicted on the walls of the temple to please the priests and followers of these gods. King Amenhotep III was born to an Egyptian father and a foreign mother, so he was not of pure royal blood. He was supposed to marry the eldest daughter, who was the sister of the previous king, in order to complete the royal lineage, but he did not do so and married a common lady. The king wanted to please the people so that they would accept him as king by offering sacrifices to the Egyptian gods. The second reason was the king’s desire to record on his walls his lineage to the god Amun and the story of his divine birth and his coronation by the god Amun in order to gain greater legitimacy to rule.

Luxor Temple Architecture

The Elements Of The Temple Luxor :

-Rams Road:

The path of the visit to the Luxor Temple was defined by a road lined with stone slabs bordered on both sides by statues in the form of a sphinx with the body of a lion and the head of a ram. This road is called the Rams Road. The ram’s head here symbolizes the god Amun. Below the ram’s head is a statue of the king standing in the Osirian form. The road leads to the Temple of Khonsu, south of the Karak Temple. The statues of rams that preceded the Luxor Temple have been lost, and all that remains of them is a group of statues in front of the Temple of Khonsu.

-The Gate Of King Nectanebo I:

The gate that precedes the courtyard that precedes the first pylon built by King Nectanebo I of the Late Period. He also built a group of statues in the form of the Sphinx with the body of a lion and the head of the king with a nemes. This gate precedes it - and it replaced the statues of rams that were built by King Amenhotep III. The Sphinx statues are still present to this day.

Luxor Temple Plan

-The First Paylon:

The first paylon is a huge gate built by King Ramses II of the 19th Dynasty. In the middle of it is the entrance to the temple. On the facade of the edifice are four openings at the bottom and openings at the top of the flagpoles.

-The Two Obelisks:

The two obelisks are made of pink granite. The western obelisk, which is the right one, was moved to the Place de la Concorde in Paris in 1835 and 1836 AD. The eastern obelisk, which is the left one, is still in place. Each of the four faces of the obelisk is engraved with scenes of the king kneeling and offering sacrifices to the god Amun, who is seated on a seat. Below the scene are three vertical lines in relief with the titles, names and epithets of King Ramses II. Carved into the front and back of the obelisk base are four cards depicting the rising sun. Engraving. On the east and west sides of the obelisk base are scenes of three Nile gods, each carrying offerings.

-The Six Statues:

Which was preceded the first pylon, with three statues on each side, four of them standing to the right and left of the entrance. On each of the three statues on the left side, there was a black granite base on the right side, engraved with scenes of a goddess kneeling before the king’s cartouches. There remained a standing statue on the right, made of black granite, engraved with scenes of Princess Meritamun and scenes of the family. The king was depicted in the two statues adjacent to the entrance, sitting on a throne wearing the double crown, a symbol of the unity of Upper and Lower Egypt. The royal uraeus adorned his forehead, his arms bent at the knee. There were three small statues of individuals representing the royal family, Nefertari and the princes, the princesses, between the sides of the statue’s legs. The statue is made of pink granite, and the sides of the seat are decorated with a symbol called the Semtawy, which is a symbol of the unity of Upper and Lower Egypt by the Nile gods.

-The First Courtyard:

There is an entrance in the middle of the first pylon built by King Ramses II. This entrance leads to the courtyard of columns, which contains a group of 74 columns. There is a group of statues between these columns representing King Ramses II standing. The walls of this courtyard are decorated with scenes of Ramses II with the gods.

Abu Haggag Mosque In Luxor Temple

There are in the northwest of the courtyard there is a structure consisting of three shrines. The middle shrine was dedicated to the god Amun, the western shrine to the god Mut, and the eastern shrine to their son, the god Khonsu. This temple was built by Queen Hatshepsut and King Thutmose III and rebuilt by King Ramses II. To its side is the Abu al-Hajjaj Mosque to the northeast of the courtyard.

Luxor Temple Architecture Facts

-The Second Pylon:

Which was of Luxor Temple is considered the facade of the temple built by King Amenhotep III. In front of it, King Ramses II placed a statue of himself sitting, and next to it is a statue of his wife Nefertari next to the statue's right leg.

-Corridor Of Columns:

The second pylon leads to a colonnade with 14 columns in two rows.

Why Is The Luxor Temple Important

- Luxor Temple Court Of Amenhotep III (King Amenhotep III's Cache) :

The Courtyard of Columns of King Amenhotep III, or what is called the Cache Courtyard, contains about 64 columns and was dedicated to King Amenhotep III. The walls of the courtyard were decorated with scenes of King Amenhotep III with many gods. During the restoration of the floor of this courtyard in 1989, a cache containing more than 20 statues of gods and kings was found there.

Temple Of Luxor Egypt

-The Hall Of Fourteen Columns:

After that, you will find the Hall of Fourteen Columns, which is a hall that opens onto the Court of Columns. It is located to the south of it, and its ceiling is supported by four rows of columns, each row has eight columns.This hall is decorated with scenes of King Amenhotep III with the gods.

-Shrines Of The Gods Mut And Khonsu:

The Hall of 14 Columns has four entrances in its southern wall, two on each side, leading to shrines for the boats of the gods Mut and Khonsu to rest.

-The Hall Of The Eight Columns:

The Hall of the 14 Columns leads to another Hall of Columns whose ceiling is supported by 8 columns. This hall is decorated with scenes of King Amenhotep III with the gods. Most importantly, this hall was converted into a Christian temple in the Roman era.

What Are Some Interesting Facts About The Luxor Temple?

-The Divine Birth

The first hall of the four columns, or what is called the hall of the divine birth, where Amenhotep III depicted scenes of his divine birth from the god Amun to confirm his assumption of power.

-Altar Of Alexander The Great

After the Hall of Divine Birth comes the altar to Alexander the Great. It is a square hall. Alexander the Great removed its columns and erected a shrine for the god Amun in the middle of the hall. This hall was decorated with scenes of Alexander the Great on the walls with the god Amun.

What Is So Special About Luxor Temple?

-The Hall Of 12 Columns

Next to the altar of Alexander the Great is a hall with 12 columns decorated with scenes of King Amenhotep III with the gods.

-Holy Of Holies:

There are 3 entrances at the end of the hall with 12 columns leading to 3 shrines for the gods. The middle shrine is dedicated to the god Amun.

Best Time To Visit Luxor Temple

The best time to visit Luxor Temple is in winter and the transitional periods in the seasons such as October, November, December until April, when the temperatures are moderate and the weather is pleasant.

Night Tours At Luxor Temple

Luxor Temple is open at night. Visitors prefer to visit it in the evening to avoid the heat of the day and enjoy exploring it with a tour guide. Book your trip now.