Luxor temple

Luxor A strip of green in the midst of yellow desert, thecultivated fields against a background of red rocks,this is the setting for Luxor, one of the greatestcapital of the ancient world. This is the ancient,great city of Thebes, capital of the Egyptian empirefor almost a thousand years, called by Homer in theninth canto of the Iliad “The hundred-gated Thebes”where “only the grains of sand of the desert surpassedthe quantity of riches enclosed within”. The Coptscalled it Tape, hence the Greek Thebai, but for theEgyptians it was Waset “the dominant”, and Niut “thecity” later as Diospolis Magna. Its present name, Luxorderives from the Arabic Al-Uqsur “the fortifications”. 1

It was a small village during the Memphis era it wasthe spot where the god of war Montu was worshipped. Itsimportance started to increase appreciably from the 10th

dynasty onwards, for both political and geographicalreasons, until finally it became the capital ofpharaohs of the New Kingdom. The god Amon, part of thetriad also included Mut and Khonsu was worshipped herewith great pomp.

The old Egyptian capital is divided in two by a canal;to the south grew up the town of Luxor while to thenorth the village of Karnak developed.2

1 Bonechi, Luxor the valley of the kings-the valley of the queens, casa boneshi, 2008, p3. 2 Boneci, Egypt, casa boneshi, 1981, p 60.

The history of Thebes, the city of Amun, reallyremains to be written. It consists of two entirelydifferent entities, The East Bank, site of city andmain state temples, and the West Bank with its mortuarytemples and tombs. 1

Monuments of Luxor 1- The Eastern BankMonuments

a-Luxor temple.b-Karnak Temple. c-Open air museum. d-Museum of ancient

Egyptian arts. e-The Mummification

Museum.

2- The Western Bank Monuments

a-The colossi of Memnon. b-The Temple of Hatshepsut Deir El-Bahari. c-Deir El-Medina.

1V. WILLIAMS and P. STOCKS, Blue Guide Egypt, A&C Back Publishers, London 1993, p535.

1

d-Madint Habu. e-Ramesseum.f-The Valley of the Kings. g-The Valley of the Queens. 1

Temples of Egypt during the New KingdomThe expansion of Egypt’s political and economic powerduring its New Kingdom age of empire led to both thebuilding of numerous new temples and the expansion ofmany which already existed. Temple constructions in theNew Kingdom reached its high points under Amenophis IIIin the 18th dynasty and Ramses II in the 19th dynasty,and didn’t really declined until several hundred yearslater. The standard of building temples was establishedon which an entrance pylon gave access to an open courtfollowed by a columned hall and finally the sanctuaryitself. 2

Luxor TempleIntroduction of Luxor Temple Luxor temple, the southernmost ofthe monuments of the Theban bankeast bank was located in theheart of ancient Thebes and like

1 Egypt, The Egyptian tourist authority, Egypt Luxor brochure, UPPD, 2010. 2 Richard H. Wilkinson, The complete Temples of Ancient Egypt, Richard,2000, p 24.

Karnak was dedicated to god Amun or Amun-Re. A specialmanifestation of the god was worshipped here. Like theAmun of Karnak he is depicted in two principal forms asthe blue painted sky god and the black paintedfertility. The temple was called the Southern Opet or“Place of Seclusion” and its god Amenemope “Amun of theOpet”. 1

The temple uncovered in 1883 by Gaston Maspero, is 260meters long and was mostly built by two pharaohsAmenhotep III who began it in the 14th centuary B C andRamses II who completed it by adding the greatporticoed court with its axis shifted eastwards, unlikethe rest of the structure which lies north-south. 2

The temple earlier name in Egyptian was “ipt rsyt” (thesouthern sanctuary) referring to the restricted “holyof the holies” at the southern end.

Despite the presence of elements from Middle kingdombuildings reused in its construction, the Luxor templecan be traced back no earlier than the 18th dynasty aswe mentioned exactly the reign of Amenhotep III. 3

1 Richard H. Wilkinson, The complete Temples of Ancient Egypt, Richard,2000, p 166.

2 Bonechi, Luxor the valley of the kings-the valley of the queens, casa boneshi, 2008, p7.

3 D. REDFORD, The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt, The American University in Cairo Press, vol 2, Cairo, 2002 , p.309.

Parts of the Temple1.Avenue of Nectanebo

I. 2.Obelisks of Ramses

II. 3.Colossi of Ramses

II. 4.First Pylon of

Ramses II. 5.Courtyard of Ramses

II. 6.Colonnade of

Amenhotep III. 7.Courtyard of Amenhotep III. 8.Vestibule. 9.Room of the divine birth.10. Sanctuary. 11. Chapels. 12. Landing.

Luxor Temple provides a fascinating case study in thegrowth and expansion of Egyptian temples. While it mayhave been built on the site of even earlier templestructures, the history of the present structurenevertheless embraces over 3,000 years of growth. 1

1 Richard H. Wilkinson, The complete Temples of Ancient Egypt, Richard,2000, p 166.

1- The Avenue of Sphinxes Entering the temple fromthe north, before themain body of the templeruns the 30 Dynasty,Avenue of Sphinxes,revealed by recentexcavations of the OEA,extending towards Karnak.1

Religious precessions moved back and forth along a 2.5kilometer long paved Avenue of Sphinxes where thestatue of Amun Re moved from Karnak temple to visitLuxor temple. All together, one thousand larger thanlife size sphinxes backed by gardens and pools. 2

1 V. WILLIAMS and P. STOCKS, Blue Guide Egypt, A&C Back Publishers, London 1993, p 538.

2 A None, http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/luxortemple2.htm, last access: Monday 18 November 2013.

http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/luxortemple2.htm

Theses Sphinxes, with human heads, bear dedications toNectanebo I. The way was paved with sandstone slabs.This street has not yet been fully excavated and workis continuing to uncover it completely.

To the east are the remains of a small 25th DynastyChapel of Taharqa dedicated to Hathor, ehichexcavations show had been removed except for thefoundations, some 5m thick. Of the Chapel of Serapisbuilt by Hadrian no terrace remains. Around the wholecomplex are the remains of a Roman brick town. 1

2- The Pylon Standing in front of thepylon were two obelisksand six colossal figuresof Ramses II, two seatedand four standing. The twored granite obelisks werepresented by Mohamed AliPasha to France in 1819and the one on the west,22.8m high, was removed1 . WILLIAMS and P. STOCKS, op.cit. p 538.

(now in the Place de la Concorde in Paris), butfortunately the eastern obelisk, 25m high, is still inplace. Two seated figures flank the entrance but of thestanding figures the two to the east were given toFrance (now in Louvre) and only one of the two on thewest remains in place. The Pylon of Ramses II (originally 24m high and 65mwide) has part on the top course missing. The outerface shows scenes of the battle of Kadesh, the battleon the upper register and the camp with chariots below.On the lower part in the battle record and the poem ofRamses II. In the entrance passage of the pylon arecarvings of Shabaka (25th Dynasty) showing the kingbefore Amun and Amunet. On the inner eastern face ofthe pylon is a continuation of the record of the battleof Kadesh, on the western side a dedicationinscription. The temple’s lower courses are heavilysalt-encrusted. 1

3- The great open court

Immediately behind the first pylon, the great courtmeasures 57 meters (185 feet) deep and 51 meters (166feet) wide. This is a priestly court, with a double rowof 74 columns around its four sides supporting a narrowroof around its perimeter. The northeastern (leftfront) quadrant of the court is unexcavated; a deeplayer of debris and the remains of any early Christian


church lie beneath the mosque and tomb of Abu el-Haggag.1

Most of the mosque of Abu el-Hagagincludes the minaret in 19th

century, but the northern minaretis much older. It is one of aseries erected through southernEgypt by Bade El-Gamali to markhis victories over the Nubians1077. 2

An explanation is found in the North West corner of thecourt, small temple to Amun, Mut and Khonsu built byThutmosis III and Hatshepsut 100 years beforeAmenhotep, 200 years before Ramses. The granite columnsare original, while the carvings redone by Ramses IIwho integrated the temple into his court aligning hiscourt to suit.

The interior walls of Ramsescourt are adorned withreliefs. Especiallyinteresting is therepresentation of the pylon

1 Kent R. weeks, Illustrated guide to Luxor tombs, temples and museums, the edition published in Egypt in 2005 by the American university in Cairo page 124.


façade at the west end of the south wall, complete withcolossi, obelisks and fluttering banners. Approachingthis, along the west wall is approaching led by 17 ofRamses’ sons (he fathered over 100 in his 90-odd years)and followed by priests and sacrificial oxen. Theunnaturally long hooves indicate oxen have beenfattened in their stalls for the occasion, while themodel of an African’s head between the horns of thefifth ox and the Asiatic head with long pointed beardbetween horns of sixth symbolizes the Egyptian triumphover Africa and Asia. The southern half of the court isfurther embellished with standing colossi of Ramseswhile the triumph motif is repeated round the bases ofthe black granite seated colossi on either side of thesouthern doorway the shields and bound figures ofvanquished asiatics on the east base, of Africans onthe west.1

4- The ColonnadeNext is a colonnade built by Amenhotep but usurped by Hormoheb consisting of 14 large open papyrus capital columns arranged to make a tall processional avenue. Perhaps it was originally intended by Amenhotep as a first step towards the construction of a Hypostyle Hallall as processional way leading to a pylon. It is

1 M. Haag, Guide to Egypt, 1995, p 201.

walled in a long rectangular court decorated by Tutankhamen and Hormoheb.1

The scenes of the opet festival, one of the mostimportant religious ceremonies in the New Kingdom. Theyinclude details of the procession from Karnak to Luxorand return. There "compositional unity" and carefully-followed sequential ordering indicate that there hadbeen laid out according to a single comprehensive plandrawn up before actual work began. The Opet scenes can be divided into 12 parts: 5 sceneson the west wall deal with the procession from Karnakto Luxor and initial ceremonies in Luxor temple; fiveothers, on the east wall, treat further festivals inLuxor temple and return to Karnak. In addition, thereare scenes in the northern and southern end walls.2

5- The sun court of Amenhotep IIIThe Great Sun Court of Amenhotep IIIsLuxor Temple, located in Luxor, Egypt,measures about 45.11 by 56.08 meters (148by 184 feet). 3

1 V. WILLIAMS and P. STOCKS, Blue Guide Egypt, A&C Back Publishers, London1993, p 540.

2 Kent R. weeks, Illustrated guide to Luxor tombs, temples and museums, the edition published in Egypt in 2005 by the American university in Cairo page 126.

3 A None, http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/luxortemple5.htm#ixzz2l4ehptCz last access: Monday 18 November 2013

Most of the temple of luxor in its present state wasbuilt by Amenhotep III in three phases. Frist was the temple proper, at the south end of thesite. Behind the colonnade portico lays the entrance towhat was originally another columned hall, flanked by anumber of chapels that accommodate the processionalshrines of Amun (west) as well as Khonsu and Mut (east)when they visited the luxor temple during the Opetfestival. 1

The court of Amenhotep ш is likethe court of ramesses, is aperistyle court surrounded onthree sides by double rows ofclumns with papyrus-bud capitals.This court is the glory of thetemple of luxor and is an exampleof the best 18 dynasty.The columns are well proportionedand in a good state ofpreservation except at the north end.2

It received decoration from the time of Amenhotephimself to that of Alexander the Great. The side wallsretain some of their original coloring, but are poorly



preserved. They show traces of scenesshowing Amenhotep III, Amun and others,including Alexander the Great. In recent decades, ceremonies havecontinued to be performed in this court.They have included a "crossed-oarceremony" that preceded Nile racesbetween rowing crews from Oxford,Cambridge, Harvard, Yale and Cairo.Children from Luxor dressed in pharaoniccostumes scattered flower petals before the oarsmen.Rock concerts were held here too, until officials beganto worry about the effects of vibrations on thecolumns.1

6-The Hypostyle hall It was built by Amenhotep III, Though incorporated intothe Sun Court, it was originally a sort of vestibulefor the oldest part of the temple, being the firstinner room of the temple proper and it leads off thelast court to the Southern and consist of 32 budcolumns grouped in four rows of eight that oncesupported a now non-existent roof.

In front of the central columns are fragments of anarchitrave with the cartouches of the 13 dynasty. King

1 A None, http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/luxortemple5.htm#ixzz2l4ehptCz last access: Monday 18 November 2013

Rmesses ӀѴ and ѴӀ have usurped the columns byinscribing their cartoches.1

Through the center of thesecolumns runs an aisle. On thewalls of this chamber AmenhotepIII is depicted before the godsof Thebes ceding the templeabove a plinth of figurespersonifying the Egyptian nomes.The east wall of the hall is decorated with scenes ofthe king offering milk, ointments,birds and fish to Amun and Amenet,and other scenes of the king and hiska driving calves and consecratingboxes of cloth.2

To the southern open four longrooms, three of which are chaples, those on each sideof the central doorway to Khonsu and one on the east toMut. Against the doors of these are dedicatoryinscription of Ramesses ц indicating that he hadrepaired the temple. The other room on the west hasstairs leading to the roof. On the other side of thehall is a Roman alters dedicated to the EmperorConstantine.3


2 None, http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/luxortemple2.htm, last access: Monday 18 November 2013.

3 WILLIAMS and P. STOCKS, op.cit. p 541.

http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/luxortemple2.htm

7- The Small side Chapels The small chapels atthe sides of theoriginal hall havebeen identified asbelonging to thedivine king’sprocessional shrine to(east) and his Ka-statue (west), whenthey are lodged insidethe temple during theOpet festival. 1

The Hypostyle Hall opens south into the firstantechamber which originally had eight columns, butthese were removed when the chamber was turned into aChristian Church in the 4th century. On the southernwall where the entry to the sanctuary should have been,an apsidal recess flanked by two granite columns wasbuilt, and the reliefs of Amenhotep III were coveredwith a coat of whitewash and fine Christian paintings(now almost completely destroyed). Amenhotep can stillbe seen on the southern wall kneeling before Amun-Reand a lion-headed goddess. On the northern wall thereare scenes of a procession with priests and musiciansincluding the king (defaced) going to worship Amun.When the temple converted to a church dismantledsections like screen walls and column drums were placed


under the pavement, these confirm that Shabaka in the25th dynasty built a colonnade in front of the temple.Beyond is the smaller second antechamber with fourcolumns. On the walls the king is shown driving sacredcalves to be killed before the god, offering incense,chests, sistra and scepters to Amun-Re. This was theoffering chapel which stood in front of the next roomwhich is the sanctuary of the sacred bark. 1

8- The Sanctuary of Alexander the Great

Originally another antechamber withfour columns, it was converted to aSanctuary by Alexander the Great whobuilt the chapel opening north andsouth in the center chamber and thesanctuary in the form of a largebark shrine. This sanctuary probablyreplaced an earlier wooden shrinewhich, in turn, may have replacedthan an original. It is decorated byscenes of Alexander in front of Amun , Mut , andKohnsu, and he is shown presenting a feather crown andvases to Amun. The king is also shown making offeringsto sacred boat of Amun. 2



9- The Divine Birth Room

To the east a passage leadsout into a side room, withthree columns and muchdamaged reliefs from whichin turn leads to the BirthRoom. This is a greatinterest because hereAmenhotep claims divinityas the son of god Amun-Re one of the main reasons forhis extensive rebuilding work at this temple.1

The “divine Birth” was ritually reenacted in a pair ofrooms east of the bark sanctuary and the offering hall.Such a transition to the temple’s role as a divineresidence is not haphazard; for it is in the southeastcorner of birth suite we find the only access to the“southern Sanctuary” 2

10- The Original Sanctuary(Holy of the Holies)

Directly behind the barque shrinein the inner most chambers ofAmenhotep’s temple, including inthe original sanctuary or “holy of

1 Ibid., p.542.


the holies”, is containing the base of the block whichone supported the god’s image. 1

The sanctuary is a small square room with four columns.Here the god is represented Amun –Min. On each sidethere are two columned rooms. The back southwest cornerof the temple is severely damaged. As part of theEastern wall. 2

Faculty of Tourism and Hotel management

Guidance department 3rd year (group B) 1 Richard H. Wilkinson, The complete Temples of Ancient Egypt, Richard,2000, p 17.


Luxor TempleUnder supervision

Dr: Abeer Amin

Year 2013

Prepared by:

1- Fady Nour Zaki.

2- Lilian Michael Kamel.

3- Marina Ashraf Askandros.

4- Nancy Nagi Nasif.

5- Hagar Mohamed Abd El-Fatah.

To parents with love,

I

“A room without books is like a body without asoul.”

Marcus Tullius Cicero

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13755.Marcus_Tullius_Cicero

Acknowledgment

A very special thanks to our professor Dr. Abeer Aminbecause u allowed us to search an important site likeLuxor temple which is considered a very important siteto us as tour guides.

Also we need to thanks our colleagues who helped us alot.

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Luxor temple