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Luxor Archaeology
Luxor Temple
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Luxor Temple
The first glimpse many visitors have of this temple is from the Nile when
their cruise liner docks alongside the Corniche el Nil. From there, it is
easy to visualise the sacred barques that long ago brought the god Amun-Min
and his wife Mut down the river from Karnak
for their annual honeymoon during the Opet Festival. The temple is clearly
visible from the Corniche and at night makes a spectacular sight as its
courtyards and statues are floodlit until the temple closes.
The original temple was small and honoured the annual Opet
Festival which was held in the second month of summer when the Nile
was in flood. This early structure had shrines built by Hatshepsut
which were later augmented by her brother Tutmosis III, but there are signs
of a temple being there from the Middle Kingdom era. The older parts of
the temple were mainly dismantled and re-used when construction of the larger
temple began and there is now little visual evidence of them. During Amenophis's
reign, the temple became known as the "Harem of the South" and
it gained the magnificence that we see today.
Although Amun Min was later brought to Luxor by
river, originally he was carried along the Avenue and a carnival atmosphere
would have prevailed. The temple's massive columns would have been brightly
coloured and, during the Opet festival, its courtyards would be filled with
music and dancing as priests, performed the rituals necessary to bring prosperity
to Upper Egypt. In ancient times, ordinary people would not have been allowed
inside the temple precincts and only a carefully selected audience would
witness these. This ancient festival is now mirrored in the Abu el Haggag
Moulid that takes places annually in the month of Charban, just before the
start of Ramadan.
Abu el Haggag was a local Islamic holy man who, during the middle ages,
was buried in a debris-filled shrine inside the temple.
When
the power of the priests dwindled and Thebes reverted to being a backwater,
villagers made their homes inside the temple walls and brought their new
religions with them. Now, when you pass through the entrance, you not only
see a colonnaded courtyard which is lined with statues of Ramses
II but also a mosque which the villagers refused to destroy when they
were moved out of the temple in the nineteenth century. The mosque honours
Abu el Haggag and as it is still in use, it means there has been 4,000 years
of worship on this site. It was rebuilt in the nineteenth century but it
still has its original 11th century minaret.
The Abu el Haggag Mosque (left) is still in use and marks 4,000 years of
worship on the site
In front of the temple's first pylon, which is decorated with scenes of
Ramses victory at the battle of Kadesh, is an obelisk that has four dog-headed
baboons at its base. In keeping with the temple's fertility connections,
the baboons originally had erect penises but despite surviving intact for
thousands of years, they were unfortunately destroyed by over-prudish Victorian
archaeologists. The Obelisk was once one a pair but its counterpart now
stands in the Place de la Concorde in Paris as it was given to Louis Phillippe
as a gift.
Left:
An impressive stone head of Ramses II is mounted on a plinth.
Originally there were six statues of Ramses II at the front on the temple
- four standing and two seated - but now only the two seated and one badly
damaged standing statue remain. The seated statues sit either side of the
entrance and stare towards Karnak. To the left of the obelisk, mounted on
a plinth, is an impressive stone head of Ramses II.
The first courtyard is surrounded by a double row of papyrus bud columns
that once supported a roof, which would have provided the temple with darkness
and a secretive air. Between many of the columns are fine statues of Ramses
standing with one foot forward, giving him stability and grace. Reliefs,
which were added later, show his funeral procession where he is attended
by many of his numerous sons. Also, there is an unusual relief of the temple
itself showing its obelisks and banners. This part of the temple is linked
to the older part through the second pylon, which is flanked by colossal
statues of Ramses seated. Beyond this pylon, is a magnificent Colonnade
of pillars, which was started by Amenophis III and added to by his grandson
Tutankhamun
and his successors, Ay and Horemheb.
At
21 metres high (68 feet), even today the Colonnade is impressive; when it
was erected it would have been completely awe-inspiring. The Colonnade has
fourteen columns, all, with open papyrus capitals, that would have supported
a roof. This, together with the decorated walls, would have created an enclosed
dark tunnel leading from darkness into light, which could have invoked religious
ecstasies. Only the base of the surrounding walls has survived but it gives
a detailed account of the progression of the Opet festival, the purpose
of which was to rejuvenate the King's powers as well as to honour the Gods.
Beyond the Colonnade is a large open-aired courtyard, which may have been
dedicated by Amenophis III to the sun disc Aten. This courtyard is innovative
as it moves away from the usual secretive ambience, towards a celebration
of light.
The unroofed solar courtyard leads from the darkness of the colonnade to
a celebration of light.(images9)
The Solar Courtyard is unpaved and in 1989, workmen accidentally discovered
a cache of statues that had remained hidden for nearly two thousand years.
The statues had been buried during the Roman occupation when new Emperors
had greater importance than old Pharaohs and somewhere had to be found to
store surplus statuary. Burying the statues preserved them and they now
represent some of the finest examples of Egyptian craftsmanship. Many of
these statues are on display in Luxor Museum.
At the rear of the solar courtyard is a hypostyle hall that has thirty-six
remaining columns, some of which are badly damaged. Beyond that is a warren
of some fifty chambers and sanctuaries that have been usurped, enlarged,
embellished and in some cases plastered over as various monarchs left their
mark. At one time, it was thought that part of this area might have been
used as a Christian Chapel, but this is now considered unlikely.
This part of the temple is actually its heart, the place where the barques
of Amun, Mut and their son Khonsu were kept during their brief stay. Here
also lies the birthing room, which proves the Pharaoh's divine is link with
the gods. Either Amenophis or Alexander is shown here being formed by the
gods on a potter's wheel. The sacred barque of Amun was housed in the Third
Antechamber and four pillars marked the place where the barque was placed.
These pillars were replaced with a chamber during the reign of Alexander
the Great and the change in building style is quite evident.
At
the rear of the Solar court is a hypostyle hall with 36 remaining columns.The
doorway to the Third Antechamber, which housed the barque of Amun.
All around the temple are ruins of priests'' quarters and a garrison. Piles
of carved blocks salvaged from fallen walls lie waiting for reconstruction;
which is a task that might be completed on a computer screen if not in real
life. However, with the new excavations that are taking place, their original
positions might still be located.
In November 2005, work started to clear the way for making Luxor
Temple part of the biggest open-air Museum in the world. Millions of pounds
became available to preserve the Temple from the rising water level, which
was destroying the structure, and causing stonework to crack and decay.
In addition to this, modern buildings directly around the Temple have been
scheduled for demolition so that archaeologists can uncover the foundations
of more of the temple. A road is also planned to once again join Luxor
and Karnak Temples.
The best time to see this temple is just at dusk when the fading light gives
an impression of how the temple would have looked when it had its roof.
The temple is floodlit and as the glow of the lights increases the true
beauty of this temple becomes more evident.
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Hotel For Sale Luxor
Hotel for sale in Egypt - Luxor City Centre
Location: Luxor
Category: * * * *
Ref: GA01
Price: P.O.A.
Egypt Real Estate
Property for sale in Egypt - Apartment
Location: Luxor
Ref: PJ5007
Price: £ 43,000
Details: Beds: 3 | Baths:2 | Built M2 180 | Pool: No |
Egypt Real Estate
Property for sale in Egypt - Apartment
Location: Luxor
Ref: PJ5006
Price: £ 43,000
Details: Beds: 2 | Baths:1 | Built M2 180 | Pool: No |
Egypt Real Estate
Property for sale in Egypt - Apartment
Location: Luxor
Ref: EA226
Price: £ 39,950
Details: Beds: 2 | Baths:1 | Built M2 120 | Pool: No |
Egypt Real Estate
Property for sale in Egypt - Apartment
Location: Luxor
Ref: CC5014
Price: £ 33,000
Details: Beds:- | Baths:1 | Built M2 140 | Pool: No |
Egypt Real Estate
Property for sale in Egypt - Apartment
Location: Luxor
Ref: EA227
Price: £ 33,000
Details: Beds:3 | Baths:1 | Built M2 160 | Pool: No |
Egypt Real Estate
Property for sale in Egypt - Apartment
Location: Luxor
Ref: EA222
Price: £ 30,000
Details: Beds:2 | Baths:1 | Built M2 100 | Pool: No |
Egypt Real Estate
Property for sale in Egypt - Apartment
Location: Sharm El Sheikh
Ref: PJ5001
Price: £ 28,000
Details: Beds:1 | Baths:1 | Built M2 - | Pool: Yes |
Egypt Real Estate
Property for sale in Egypt - Apartment
Location: Sharm El Sheikh
Ref: PJ5000
Price: £ 25,000
Details: Beds:1 | Baths:1 | Built M2 - | Pool: Yes |
Egypt Real Estate
Property for sale in Egypt - Apartment
Location: Luxor
Ref: EA111
Price: £ 24,500
Details: Beds:2 | Baths:1 | Built M2 145 | Pool: No |
Egypt Real Estate
Property for sale in Egypt - Apartment
Location: Sharm El Sheikh
Ref: MDC5000
Price: £ 24,000
Details: Beds:1 | Baths:1 | Built M2 78 | Pool: Yes |
Egypt Real Estate
Property for sale in Egypt - Apartment
Location: Luxor
Ref: EA110
Price: £ 19,995
Details: Beds:3 | Baths:1 | Built M2 150 | Pool: No |
Egypt Real Estate
Real Estate for sale in Egypt - Apartment Building (4 Apartments)
Location: Luxor
Ref: G7919
Price: £350,000 GBP
Details: Beds:- | Baths: - | Built: M2 - | Plot: M2 - | Pool: Yes | | Garage: -
Egypt Real Estate
Real Estate for sale in Egypt - Apartment
Location: Luxor
Ref: G5582
Price: £82,000 GBP
Details: Beds: 3 | Baths: 1 | Built: M2 - | Plot: M2 - | Pool: Yes | | Garage: -
Egypt Real Estate
Real Estate for sale in Egypt - Apartment
Location: Luxor
Ref: G7296
Price: £55,000 GBP
Details: Beds: 2 | Baths: 1 | Built: M2 - | Plot: M2 - | Pool: -| | Garage: -
Luxor Links:
http://www.luxorguide.com
http://homepage.powerup.com.au/~ancient/luxor.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxor
http://www.cyclejp.com/luxor/indexE.html
http://www.world66.com/africa/egypt/luxor