Luxor Temple: description and photo

Temple complexes of Luxor and Carnac are the main attractions of Luxor, or, as it is called, "Cities of the Living." Luxor is on the right bank of the river. Nile, in place of the former capital of ancient Egypt, the city of Thebes.

The modern city of Luxor is a residential area with shops, hotels, ancient numerous monuments and restaurants, where the Luxor and Karnak temples take a special place, in addition enjoy the close attention of tourists who are vacationing in the resorts of Egypt.

These temples are connected with each other by a 3-kilometer alley of sphinxes. This is all that is left of the famous Corridor of Light, once connecting the temple complexes into one ensemble.

Luxor Temple: description

He is a pearl among the remaining architectural monuments of Ancient Egypt. This is a vivid example of the power of the pharaohs, sustained in the traditions of town planning of those years. Of course, the monument to our times has not been preserved in its original form, although on some columns one can still see traces of the original paint, while in a dilapidated church it is possible to see the outlines of its halls. Luxor Temple of ancient Egypt strikes with its scale, perfection of forms and grandeur, as well as the harmony of architecture with the landscape, which even the neighborhood with modern Luxor could not spoil.

Building

The temple is located on the site of Thebes - the ancient capital of Egypt. It is dedicated to three deities: Amon, Muth - his wife, and also Khonsu - their son. The erection of it began during the reign of Amenhotep III, but even two hundred years before that Thutmose III and Hatshepsut built a small sanctuary that is visited on the festival of Opet. Although it was Amenhotep III whose name was immortalized by the erection of this complex.

The architects of the pharaoh construction began with internal premises (a hypostyle hall, a vestibule and a sanctuary), then to the north they created an inner courtyard surrounded by columns in the form of papyrus stems. The famous Precession Colonnade, consisting of 12-meter columns in the form of blossoming papyrus flowers, is also the creation of the architects of the pharaoh. Columns, in addition, are decorated with hieroglyphics, which narrate about the god Amone.

Luxor Temple in Luxor continued to build Pharaoh Ramses II, famous for its monuments in Ancient Egypt. Its architects installed a huge pillar, surrounded by statues of the pharaoh and 74 columns. The most remarkable are the figure of Ramses II and his wife Nefertari. With its grandeur, six statues of the pharaoh are shocked, as if protruding from the shadow of the temple. A truly ominous effect is achieved with moonlight at night.

Monuments of antiquity

Despite the fact that Luxor Temple in Egypt is a historical monument and impresses even from afar with its greatness and tranquility, its territory also has a huge amount of cultural values. For example, the frescoes that have survived to this day strike the imagination of every story they tell about, and the ornate forms. The most valuable is the relief, telling that the pharaoh was born of the god Amon, who found the most beautiful woman and, turning to the face of her husband, along with her begot child - the future of Amenhotep III. The newborn presented gifts to the whole pantheon of the gods, which he was given prosperity, strength, eternal memory and glory.

Near the entrance to the Luxor Temple in Egypt is located an obelisk made of granite pink, as well as two statues of Ramses II. From the very beginning, the entrance was decorated with two obelisks, only in 1819 one of them was donated to the King of France. The Luxor Temple itself begins with a pylon decorated with frescoes that describe the victory over the Hittites. Then the rest of the pharaohs on the pylon captured their victories.

Another attraction of the temple are the alleys of the sphinxes, connecting the main building with the temples of the goddess Mut and Khons. The Sphinxes seem to guard the path of the pharaoh, their absolute tranquility primarily speaks of peace and the safety of the living and the dead.

Alexander the Great

Luxor Temple, a photo of which you can see in this article, did not bypass your attention and Alexander the Great, a great conqueror. During his reign, he was able to bring strokes into this monument of antiquity. So, to the back of the temple, the Luxor Temple was built in his honor. Also over the Egyptian frescoes in the inner part of the complex was placed Roman stucco, despite the fact that the local priests were trying their best to resist such "improvements".

The Muslim Monument

The Luxor temple is also interesting for the Abu el Haggag mosque. It stands out from the whole ensemble of attractions. This is a monument to the saint, who during the pilgrimage of Muslims to Mecca was able to save animals and people from death. Tradition says that when the caravan moved through the desert, at risk of dying due to thirst, the saint began to pray to Allah, and that his bottle filled with water. So the saint sent the whole caravan to drink, that he saved him from death.

According to another version, Abu el-Haggag married Princess Tarza. After that, he promised himself that he should die only in the Luxor Temple. Only his illness overtook him far from here. Then the Lord sent him two angels, who brought him home. In the very place where they left the saint, they built a mosque.

At the present moment on the roof of the mosque is the Nile boat. Every year before the beginning of the Nile flood, it is removed and painted. Then an honorary escort with her bypass all the surrounding fields. This escort includes sixty foot soldiers and two policemen, then they are followed by camels in blankets, decorated with bells and feathers. Then the descendants of the saint and members of the religious brotherhood join the procession. This procession is a reminder of the ancient rites that are dedicated to the fertility of the earth.

Luxor Temple is a historical monument. While it is "clamped" on all sides by the city with its shops and bustling streets, the sanctuary of the ancient gods still impresses with its unearthly calmness, grandeur, inner harmony and grandeur ...

The famous Karnak Temple

It is a complex measuring 700 m by 1.5 km, including 33 churches, as well as halls. It changed and was supplemented for 2000 years. Every Pharaoh in the temple tried to make a contribution, perpetuating his name in it.

The structure of the temple

It includes 3 parts:

• The central part is the temple of Amun Ra, dedicated to the god Amon. This is the most interesting and large building here, which began to erect under the administration of Amenhotep III;
• To the north are the ruins of the Montu temple;
• To the south is the Mut Temple, dedicated to Amon-Ra's wife and Queen Mut.

Complex significant changes under the reign of Ramses I, II, III, Amenhotep III, Queen Hatshepsut, Thutmose I and III, Ptolemy and Libyan kings of the 22nd dynasty.

During the reign of Hatshepsut, two giant 30-meter obelisks were created in the temple of Amun, created in her honor, as well as eight pylons.

Under Thutmose III the complex was built up with walls, while images of the victories of the people of Egypt were painted on bas-reliefs.

Sacred lake

A little south of the temple is the Sacred Lake. It is a pond ablution, next to which was installed a column, which is crowned by a huge beetle-scarab. It is worth noting that for the ancient Egyptians it was a symbol of prosperity.

Karnak Temple, like most of Egypt's sights, until the XIX century was under a layer of sand, although it is now one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country.

Karnak and Luxor temples take the 2nd place in popularity and attendance among tourists who rest on Egyptian resorts. Excursion to Luxor will take you to the past, which is hidden today in wall drawings and letters. Such a trip will leave a lot of unforgettable and vivid impressions!