Welcome to another post from my Egypt travel series! When I downloaded the 5,000+ photos I had after the trip I realized that more than half of them were from temples so I have decided to spread out these posts and today I bring you the Temple of Luxor. The city of Luxor is arguably one of the most important when it comes to ancient Egyptian history. The current city sits on top of the ancient city of Thebes where the pharaohs commanded the Egyptian empire from the 16th–11th centuries B.C. In modern days on the West Bank it is well known for the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens and on the East Bank where the main city is located, the two best preserved temples; Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple.
Speaking about all of this history, the current Temple of Luxor has been a holy site for thousands of years and, in fact, four different religions have been practiced on this site – first the Ancient Egyptian gods were worshiped, then the Romans/ Greeks gods, then it was a Christian place of worship, and last it served as a Mosque. Today it is now a historical site but you can still see remnants of these different faiths starting with the statues outside are 10 meters high and made of solid granite. They depict Ramesses II clenching granite it his fists to show that he was strong, just a little vain, no? I will stop now but if you want to learn more about the temple, head here! Our tour guide also shared many other fun facts like there used two obelisks at the entrance but the French stole one and put it outside the Tuileries Garden.
Inside the temple has seen better days but many of the historical elements are still there, like many of the 64 columns of the main hall which when built represented Ramesses II control over all 64 cities in Egypt and their name is on each one. Nearly the entire temple, on the banks of the Nile, is made of Sandstone and many pharaohs put their mark on it as it was erected in 1400 BC including Amenhotep III and Tutankhamun (King Tut) though the statues of Ramesses II and Nefertari, the favorite of his 34 wives, are the most prevalent.
Would you visit the Temple of Luxor?
Travel Diaries: Font Magica, The Magic Fountain of Montjuic
Happy New Years from Egypt
Galapagos Photography Tips
Next Up? Edinburgh, Scotland
Lucy says
What an incredible trip you had.
My parents have wanted to go to Egypt for years and I have been forwarding them your posts and I think this one will Seal the deal. Now I need to work on them taking me with them.
Fingers and toes crossed 🤞
Janie says
That obelisk is insane. How the heck did they carve that all and then get it standing upright and have it stand for thousands of years. All with out cranes or pulleys????
Debbie says
Yes of course I would go there. Still amazes me how they built all of these places. Really incredible civilization,
Jane Clifford | Typically Jane says
Wow! This is just so ridiculously cool. You guys are basically Indiana Jones here! Definitely adding this to my travel list.