The Temple of Luxor is in the centre of ancient Thebes. It was devoted to the Amon god.
The main part was built under the XVIIIth and the XIXth dynasties, started under Amenhotep III in the XIVth century before our era.
But it is about one century later, under Ramesses II, which it takes truly its importance. Much later, Alexander the Great, then Tiberus made restorations.
The temple sheltered a few times a Roman military camp. In the XIIIth century Arabic built there the mosque of Abu el Haggag dominating the court with its columns.
The access to the temple is the north is followed by an alley of sphinx which precedes the large gate of 24 meters builds by Ramesses II.
The pylon was decorated with military scenes of the triumph of the sovereign against Hittites tribes. At the origin, there were in front of the entry six colossal statues of Ramesses, two of them reached us.
There remains one of both granite obelisk which was vis-a-vis of the gate, the other being today in Paris on the Place of the Concorde.
While passing the gate one reaches the court of the columns, then after the pylon of Amenhotep III, one enters a 100 meters long and flanked corridor of 14 papyriforms columns. On the walls the relieves represent the stages of the procession of the crowned boat of Amon at the time of the great festival which was held annually. This gallery ends in a large court which is a part of the first original construction, at the Amenhotep' time.
Some of the columns on the Eastern side preserve some colours original. Southern side, the sanctuary consists of an anteroom, vault of the crowned boat, and a side room where the allegorical cycle of the birth of Amenhotep III and its divine origins is described.
Probably from the Ptolemaic time, a naos was built in the vault of the crowed boat with scenes of Alexander the Great.
In 1989, under the ground of the sanctuary, 26 statues where found, they can be seen in the museum close to Luxor.
Pictures of the temple of Luxor
