Luxor TempleLuxor TemplePrepared byPrepared by

Mohamed KhalifaMohamed Khalifa

20112011

Sohag Administration

EL-Hag Hadad Secondary School

Luxor Temple

Introduction:

Luxor Temple, or The Temple of Luxor, is among the most beautiful Temples of Egypt. It was known in the New Kingdom period as Ipt-Rsyt, which means the southern shrine. This was to differentiate between this Temple and Karnak Temple, which was the northern house of Amon.

Location:

Luxor Temple is located on the east bank of the River Nile in the city known as Luxor and was founded in 1400 BCE. The temple was dedicated to the Theban Triad of Amun, Mut, and Chons and was built during the New Kingdom.

Who Built It:

The temple area of about four acres, has begun construction on the King, "Amenhotep III" from1405 - 1370 BC approximately, one of the kings of the Eighteenth Dynasty. This king has set up most of the buildings of the Temple of Luxor in order to honor and worship the holy trinity of good god "Amun", the goddess "death", and God "Khonsu". Participated in the establishment and administration of this temple of "Tutankhamun" The Kings "any", "Horemheb", and "City I", also held the King, "Ramses II" expansion in the temple. The record "Tutankhamun" procession scenes, "Opt Holiday" on the walls surrounding Besvymasters circumambulation corridor, as well as a trip to "Amon", which expires at the annual Luxor. When he visited the "Alexander the Great" Egypt, he wanted to draw closer to the gods of "good" so he limited the construction of the god "Amun" Central Hall of the temple structure.

Description:

Most of the Luxor Temple dates to the New Kingdom period of Egyptian history. Ramses II built the pylon (the large wall in the background), two obelisks (only one remains today), and six statues of himself. The sphinxes along the “Avenue of Sphinxes” were built by Nectanebo I, and replaced the ram-headed sphinxes built by Amenhotep III. The avenue stretched from the Luxor Temple to the Karnak Temple for a distance of 2 miles.

Obelisks:

The Luxor Temple is easily identified from the front because it has only one obelisk, but as stated above Rameses II originally erected two obelisks at its entrance. The other obelisk was given to King Louis V in 1874 in exchange for a clock that no longer works, and now stands in the Concorde Square in Paris. The obelisk that remained was also included in the deal, but it turned out to be too much trouble to move it.

Feast of Opet Panel:

The Luxor Temple was the site of the Festival of Opet which is beautifully depicted on the western wall of the court. In this feast, the god Amon (or Amon-Re) comes from the Karnak Temple to visit his wife in the Temple of Luxor. In the Old Kingdom period this festival lasted 14 days, and by the New Kingdom the feast lasted 22-23 days. These reliefs are depicted like cartoons today - block by block. Pictured here are acrobats that performed at the festival.

Court of Amenhotep III:

The further you go into the Luxor temple, the older the remains are. The inner court was built by Amenhotep III (14th century). The columns of Amenhotep III are of much better quality than the columns and art of Ramses II (13th century BC). Amenhotep III’s era was a golden age, and the arts flourished.

How to get to Luxor:

You can take almost every mode of transport to Luxor since it is the destination for most visitors to Egypt. There are regular buses, taxis and trains from Cairo and other major towns across Egypt. You can take a Felucca from Aswan along the Nile and there are even international as well as domestic flight options. The most comfortable way to get to Luxor from Cairo is probably an air-conditioned train.

Where to Stay in Luxor City:

Most of the hotels are in the city of Luxor. There are plenty of options from luxurious to flophouse. For your real budget accommodation you will have to use a Lonely Planet guide and book on the spot. Tour Egypt has a good list of luxury hotels and mid-range hotels. A very good hotel with pool and perhaps a Nile view won't set you back more than $75 a night.

Conclusion:

Luxor Temple is one of the most beautiful temples in Egypt. You can't miss this beautiful place if you visit Egypt. One time is not enough to see the wonders of this place. I wish you a happy visit.

Resources: Websites:

http://www.expatexplore.com/tours/egypt/info_luxor_temple.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxor_Temple

http://www.bibleplaces.com/luxortemple.htm

http://goafrica.about.com/od/egypttopattractions/a/luxor_2.htm

Resources: Photos:

http://www.uncp.edu/home/rwb/Luxor_Temple.jpghttp://www.hillmanwonders.com/z_location_map/egypt/map_luxor_temple.gif

http://www.discoveringegypt.com/jspics/luxor9.jpghttp://www.touregypt.net/images/touregypt/luxortemple27.jpghttp://www.touregypt.net/images/touregypt/luxortemple12.jpghttp://www.touregypt.net/images/touregypt/luxortemple14a.jpghttp://www.touregypt.net/images/touregypt/luxortemple15.jpghttp://www.touregypt.net/images/touregypt/luxortemple32.jpghttp://www.touregypt.net/images/touregypt/luxortemple17.jpghttp://www.touregypt.net/images/touregypt/luxortemple30.jpghttp://www.touregypt.net/images/touregypt/luxortemple31.jpghttp://www.bibleplaces.com/images/Luxor_Temple_obelisk_at_entrance,_dg_042001.jpghttp://www.bibleplaces.com/images/Luxor_Temple_Feast_of_Opet_acrobats,_tb110500.jpghttp://www.bibleplaces.com/images/Luxor_Temple_courtyard,_dg_042001.jpg