Luxor Temple
The Temple of Luxor, dedicated to Amun, the king of the gods, was built by Amenophis III whose 40-year reign was one of the peaks of Egyptian power; it was extended by Ramesses II (Ramesses the Great) of the 19th Dynasty.
An avenue of sphinxes connected it to the Great Temple of Amon at Karnak.
In one hall is a granite shrine of Alexander the Great. The forecourt is surrounded on three sides by a double row of papyrus-cluster columns. An entrance flanked by the towers of a pylon was planned for the north end, but this design was altered, and, instead, the most striking feature of the temple, a majestic colonnade of 14 pillars, 52 feet high, was added.
Ramesses II had carved the story of his great battle at Qadesh in Syria on the front of the entrance pylon of the temple. In front of the pylon were six huge statues of himself , along with two great obelisks, one of which was removed, in 1831 and reerected in the Place de la Concorde in Paris
Excavations and preservation efforts are ongoing. In 1988 the Egyptian Antiquities Organization uncovered numerous 18th-dynasty statues at the court of Amenhotep III, and in 1995 work was initiated to preserve the columns and foundations of the court.
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©2004