On the east bank of the Nile at Luxor lies the
magnificent Luxor Temple, that Egyptians call "Harem
of the South", dedicated to the great god Amun, his
wife Mut and their son Khonsu (the moon god) -
together representing the Theban triad. Like Karnak
Temple, Luxor Temple is an accretion of structures
erected by succeeding kings. It was started by
Amenhotep III, enlarged by Tuthmosis III and finished
by Ramsis II. The temple is joined to the temple of
Karnak by a 3 km-long avenue of sphinxes with ram's
heads.
The principal entrance today is the 65 metre
wide First Pylon, built by Ramses II, and decorated
with reliefs depicting scenes of his military
campaigns. In front of the pylon are two seated
statues of the king, wearing the royal "nemes",
headdress topped by the Double Crown of Upper and
Lower Egypt, in addition to another standing statue.
The remaining obelisk of pink granite, 25 metres high,
is situated in front of the easternmost seated statue.
The Other obelisk stands in the Place de la Concorde
in Paris since 1836 and up to this day.
Passing through
the pylon entrance, the visitor enters the court of
Ramses II with numerous statues of the pharaoh and
colossal papyrus-type columns with lotus-bud capitals.
The crowns of several of these figures sit on the
ground beside them because they were carved separately
and have fallen off. The Mosque of Abu El-Haggag is
situated above the north-eastern corner of the court,
where a festival is held there every year.
There also stands the little temple of
Tuthmosis III, which possesses three chapels dedicated
to the triad of Amun, Mut and Khonsu, worshipped in
the sanctuary of Karnak. Beyond the court lies the
impressive, 25 metre long Colonnade erected by
Amenhotep III. The inside of the walls on either side
of the Colonnade were carved during the time of
Tutankhamun and depict the important annual "Opet"
festival during which the god Amun visited his
southern harem. The reliefs show the sacred barges
being brought from Karnak to Luxor. In the 3rd or 4th
century AD the temple was used by Roman Legionaries as
a chapel.
At the southern end of the temple complex is
the sanctuary which is surrounded by various chambers
including a so-called Birth Room in which the birth of
Amenhotep III is depicted in reliefs, where, in1989,
an important cache of statues was found, now hosted in
the Luxor Museum. The outside of the temple is also
quite interesting. The external wall has numerous
doors leading into the various side chapels in which
are depicted scenes from the battle against the
Syrian-Hittite coalition and also scenes from
religious ceremonies.
