The temple at Thebes, now modern day Luxor, was built in the heart of the ancient
city, and was dedicated to the god Amun. It was known in the time of the New Kingdom
as Ipt-Rsyt which means the southern shrine. Luxor temple was built by Amenhotep
III. The temple was constructed on the site of an older temple built in the 12th
dynasty. Ramses II completed the temple. Many additions were made by subsequent rulers
including Merenpetah, Seti I, Ramses III, Ramses IV, and Ramses VI. Later Alexander
the Great rebuilt the Sanctuary. During Christian times the inner section was converted
into a church. Later a Mosque named Abou el-Hagag was built on the site. Today the
temple is a major attraction, with tourists from the cruise boats almost forming
a continuous chain as they walk from their mooring points, along the road that runs
along by the river, to the temple site.
The approach to the temple is known as the Avenue of Sphinxes, which in ancient times
stretched all the way to the temple at Karnak. Directly in front stands the entry
Pylons of Ramses II. To one side stands an obelisk, this is one of a pair, the other
can now be found in the Place de le Concorde in Paris, France. At the base of the
Pylons are statues of the Pharaoh Ramses II in a seated position. Once through the
Pylons, look up to your left and you will see the Mosque of Abou -el Hagag. To the
right are the remains of a shrine built by Hatshepsut and Tothmusis II and dedicated
to the Theban triad. The triad consists of the sun god Amon-Ra, his wife the goddess
Mut, with the third being their son Khonsu. Walking forward you leave the open court
of Ramses II and walk along a processional Colonnade originally built by Amenhotep
III, and consists of two rows of columns and decorated walls. This leads through
to the Court of Amenhotep III with a double row of papyrus-bud columns on three of
the four sides. The forth side leads into a Hypostyle hall with 32 columns.
Deeper into the temple, you get to an area that in later times the Christians used
as a church. At the far end of the temple is the Sanctuary of Amon-Ra, this area
was restored in the time of Alexander the Great. Egyptian temples were usually built
in straight lines, but looking at the plan you can see that Luxor temple has been
built completely off line. This is due to Ramses II who when planning his Court,
wanted to include the older Temple to the Theban Triad.
