In which country is the Luxor temple located? Luxor Temple is a monument of ancient Egyptian architecture from the New Kingdom era. Temples and buildings of Luxor

In the center of the city of Luxor stands a temple that the ancient Egyptians called "Ipet-resyt" ("Inner Chambers"). At the end of summer, when the Nile overflowed its banks and the water turned red like blood, the OPET festival began. The divine images of Amun (the sun god), his wife Mut (the goddess of war) and his son Khonsu (the moon god) traveled in a magnificent procession from Luxor to renew the God-king, along with the renewal of the earth after a long drought.

Myths and facts

The Luxor Temple was founded by Amenhotep III in the 14th century BC, during the heyday of the New Kingdom. Horemheb and Tutankhamun added a courtyard with 74 columns and statues of the pharaohs. Ramesses II built the northern peristyle and pylon depicting his exploits in the battle against the Hittites.

Luxor Temple fell into disrepair during the Late Period. Alexander the Great decided to "restore its glory to the times of Amenhotep" in 320 BC. During the reign of Rome in Egypt, the complex was transformed into the center of the cult of the Roman emperor.

By the time of the Arab conquest, the structures were largely buried under river silt, and on top of them the Abu Haggag Mosque was built in the 13th century (one of the original minarets remains today).

What to see

The Luxor complex, one of the most beautiful, is enormous in scale. The length of the structure is 260 meters. The pylons (massive trapezoidal towers) framing the entrance are 70 meters long and more than 20 meters high. At the northern entrance there are four monolith colossi and an obelisk.

The avenue of sphinxes known as the Sacred Path leads to the main entrance of the temple. This was the road used by the procession from Karnak during the OPET festival. The entrance was originally flanked by six colossal statues of Ramesses, but only two of them survive. On the sides stood two 25-meter-tall obelisks made of pink granite. Today only one remains, the second was brought to Paris in 1819, as Mohamed Ali (who ruled Egypt) gave the obelisk to King Philippe Louis after receiving from him a French clock that never worked properly.

The narrow gateway of the pylon leads to a courtyard surrounded by a colonnade. On the eastern side, on columns, at a height of 8 meters above the ground, the Abu Haggag Mosque rises.

Behind the colonnade opens another courtyard, which dates back to Amenhotep's original building. The best preserved columns are on the eastern side, where even traces of the original flowers are visible. In the southern part, 32 columns of the hypostyle hall lead to the inner temple. On top of the Egyptian carvings, the walls are decorated with Roman stucco. In Roman times there was a chapel where local residents could renounce their faith and accept the religion of the state.

Next is the Temple of Amon, built by Alexander. Wall paintings depict the Sun God - the father of the pharaoh, emphasizing the divine origin of the Egyptian rulers. Under the floor, 26 sacred statues were discovered in 1989, probably hidden by priests during the invasion. They are currently on display in the Luxor Museum.

In the evenings, the entrance to the complex is illuminated by floodlights.

On the western bank of the Nile, in the “City of the Dead”, there is a huge necropolis carved into the rocks, as well as a temple complex - the largest in size after the Temple of Karnak.

Luxor Temple is open daily from 6.00 to 17.00.
Cost: Luxor Temple - 60 LE (about 6.2 €), museum - 100 LE.
How to get there: located in the city center, on the eastern bank of the Nile. Luxor can be reached by bus from Hurghada, Makadi Bay, Safaga, El Gouna, El Quseir (4-5 hours)

Pagan Egypt, worshiping the sun god Amon-Ra, left behind a good memory for centuries in the form of grandiose pyramids and miraculously preserved ruins of majestic temples. Apparently, nature itself helped convey to descendants the history of the Nile Valley civilization. It was not for nothing that sand covered the temple of Amun, Mut and Khonsu near Lake Ishru, called in those centuries the Southern Harem of Amun. Nowadays it is called Luxor Temple.

Entrance pylons of Luxor Temple with obelisk

The place to build the temple was not chosen by chance. This is evidenced by the temple of Alexander the Great, and the Christian church built in the first centuries of our era, and the Muslim mosque Abu el-Haggag, built in the 11th century. The ancient temple itself is located on the site of a pagan temple, built by Queen Hatshepsut and her successor Thutmose III in the 16th century BC. for the celebration of Opet - the national honoring of the Sun God.

Giant statues of pharaohs inside the temple

The temple in Luxor is an architectural ensemble in the form of a rectangle, which occupies an area of ​​about 30 hectares. It is a striking example of the architecture of the New Kingdom era - the grandeur of the composition, the symmetry of the building relative to the longitudinal axis, solemnity, and the use of columns. The composition of the temple consists of: a sanctuary, a vestibule with 32 columns, a courtyard with a double colonnade, an entrance pylon, a procession colonnade - they were built during the reign of Pharaoh Amenhotep III by his court architect Amenhotep the Younger with the participation of the brothers Gori and Suri. The second pylon and courtyard with 74 columns were built under Pharaoh Rameses II by the architect Bekenkhonsu.

Inner courtyard of the Temple of Amun-Ra with a double colonnade

To design the colonnade, the architects used an original design solution, with the help of which the temple resembles thickets of papyrus, a sacred plant of Lower Egypt. The upper part of the columns of the vestibule is decorated in the form of a papyrus bud, the columns of the central entrance are crowned with a blossoming papyrus flower, and the columns of the entrance to the sanctuary are decorated as a bunch of stems of this plant.

Columns of the Luxor Temple, stylized as papyrus stems

The walls of the temple are richly decorated with reliefs. The paintings on the walls of the sanctuary tell the legend about the origin of Pharaoh Amenhotep III, born by his mother from the god Amun-Ra himself. The courtyard, built during the time of Ramses II, is decorated with scenes of his military campaigns, and inscriptions in ancient Egyptian are preserved on the columns. The 14 columns of the processional colonnade are decorated with reliefs telling about the Opet festival. They depict the boats of the gods, accompanied by priests and musicians, people having fun, a procession of sacred animals and a pharaoh.

Ancient bas-reliefs on the walls of the Temple of Amun-Ra in Luxor

The paved alley of the sphinxes of Nectanebo I, which in the old days connected the Luxor temple with the Karnak temple, abuts the main entrance in the form of a monumental portal with two pylons. On the territory in front of the entrance to the temple there are two chapels - Serapis and Hathor. In front of the pylons of the central entrance, two statues of Ramesses II and an obelisk made of pink granite have been preserved. The gate leads to the courtyard of Ramesses II, on the territory of which is located the sanctuary of the Theban Triad (Amun, Mut and Khonsu) and the active mosque of Abu el-Haggaga, built in honor of the father of Muslim pilgrims.

Sphinxes surrounding the entrance alley of Luxor Temple

A processional colonnade leads from the courtyard of Ramesses II to the forecourt of Amenhotep III. In front of the temple sanctuary is a columned hall. The sanctuary itself consists of several rooms: the sanctuary of Amenhotep III and Alexander the Great, the “birth chamber” and the Roman sanctuary, as well as several utility rooms for the priests.

Abu el-Haggaga Mosque inside the Temple of Amun-Ra

The Temple of Amun-Ra in Luxor is perfectly preserved due to the fact that it was covered with sand for a long time. And the restoration work that is being carried out on its territory makes it possible to revive the former splendor of the grandiose religious building of Ancient Egypt.

Temple of Amon-Ra in Luxor or was one of the most majestic temples of Ancient Egypt. It is located in the center of the ancient city of Thebes (now Luxor) on the eastern bank of the Nile. Just a few kilometers north of it is the Temple of Karnak. Unlike most other Egyptian temples, Luxor has a north-south orientation to match the pylons of the Karnak Temple.

History and construction

Scientists believe that the pharaohs began building the Luxor Temple during the New Kingdom (XVI-XI centuries BC). But the earliest extant evidence dates to the reign of Amenhotep III. He was the pharaoh of the New Kingdom and rebuilt the core of the temple, which included the Inner Sanctuary. Amenhotep III also built a spacious courtyard with columns depicting bundles of reeds.

The next major stage of construction dates back to the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses II. He added another pylon to the temple complex around which 74 columns were erected. The pylon was decorated with scenes of Ramses II's campaigns against the Hittites. Also, by order of the pharaoh, majestic statues of himself and his wife were placed between the columns. four more statues of the pharaoh and two sculptures were erected in front of the pylon. One of them is currently located on the Place de la Concorde in Paris.

Several subsequent pharaohs also made their mark at the Temple of Amun-Ra at Luxor. Nectanebo II built the forecourt in front of the Great Court. He also restored the sphinx statues guarding the path to Karnak. Serapis built a chapel, which is located in the front area, and Shabaka built a hedgehog gazebo there. Later rulers also restored parts of the temple.

Even Alexander the Great left his mark on the history of the temple of Amun-Ra in Luxor - he added a granite temple to the main building, on which he depicted himself as a pharaoh sacrificing to Amun. During the Roman Empire, a fortress appeared here. Also, the reconstruction of the temple and images of the emperor and legionnaires could not be avoided.

During the conquest of Egypt by the Arabs, the Abu el-Hagag Mosque was built on the roof of the Luxor Temple. It was built on the roof due to the fact that during construction the temple was covered with sand, and it was decided to use its upper part as a foundation. Now that all the buildings have been cleared, the mosque looks like an upper superstructure.

Facts about Luxor Temple

• Luxor Temple has been an active religious site for at least 3,000 years.
• Many pharaohs completed or restored the temple.
• The repository of statues found in the Luxor Temple contained some of the most beautiful examples of Egyptian sculpture found to date.
• The temple is dedicated to Amun-Ra, as is the temple at Karnak.
• The Egyptians oriented the Luxor Temple from north to south, facing Karnak; instead of oriented east to west like most Egyptian temples.
• Luxor Temple was located in the center of the ancient city of Thebes.

Ipet-Isut, Karnak Temple- the largest temple complex of Ancient Egypt, the main state sanctuary of the New Kingdom. Located in modern Karnak, a small village lying on the eastern bank of the Nile, 2.5 km from Luxor. Since 1979, this temple, together with the Luxor Temple and the Theban necropolises, has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Ipet Res, Luxor Temple- the ruins of the central temple of Amun-Ra, on the right bank of the Nile, in the southern part of Thebes, within the modern city of Luxor.

Karnak Temple

Karnak Temple is a temple complex measuring 1.5 km. 700 meters, consisting of 33 temples and halls, which was supplemented and changed over two millennia. Each pharaoh tried to make his contribution to the temple and perpetuate his name and his merits.

The Karnak Temple is a temple complex consisting of three parts:

The central part is dedicated to the god Amun and is occupied by the Temple of Amon Ra. This is the largest and most interesting temple that began to be built during the reign of Amenhotep III. 134 sixteen-meter columns (reconstruction photo on the right) with numerous bas-reliefs that once supported the vault were arranged in 16 rows and formed a sacred corridor. The top of each column could accommodate about 50 people, and each bas-relief contains colored, gilded images describing the pharaoh's ascent to the Gods.

• To the south is the temple of Mut, queen Mut and wife of Amon-Ra.
• To the north are the ruins of the Montu Temple.

The Karnak Temple received significant changes in construction during the reigns of Amenhotep III, Ramesses I, Ramesses II, Ramesses III, Queen Hatshepsut, Thutmose I, Thutmose III, the Libyan kings of the XXII dynasty and Ptolemy.

During the reign of Queen Hatshepsut, two giant, thirty-meter-tall obelisks were erected in her honor and eight pylons in the Temple of Amun.

temple complex at Karnak Under Thutmose III, the Karnak temple was built up with walls, and images of the victories of the Egyptian people were made on the bas-reliefs.

South of the Karnak Temple is the Sacred Lake - a pond of ablution, near which there is a column, crowned by a large beetle. For the ancient Egyptians, the firebug was a sacred symbol of prosperity.

Luxor Temple - Temple of Amun-Ra

The Luxor Temple, like the temple at Karnak, is a temple complex built in honor of the god Amun-Ra. It began to be built under Pharaoh Amenophis in the 14th century BC, and during the heyday of ancient Egypt, it consisted of several courtyards surrounded by giant columns and statues of the pharaohs. This is a temple complex measuring 208 meters long and 54 meters wide, on the inner walls of which there are numerous bas-reliefs depicting religious rites in the temple, and the outer walls are decorated with bas-reliefs of the victorious battle of Ramesses II at Kadesh.

Over the course of thousands of years, the temple was completed and modified, it became more beautiful and majestic, because each pharaoh considered it his duty to immortalize the god Amon-Ra - the divine father of all pharaohs, and leave a memory of himself.

Few have survived from its original grandeur, and today the temple in Luxor is largely a ruin. Near the entrance of the main pylon, only three of the six huge, 20-meter statues of Ramses II and his wife Nefertari remained. And of the two obelisks that decorated the entrance, only one remained. The second obelisk, in 1830 was donated to France for solving and deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphs.

The beginning of the decline and oblivion of Egyptian culture was the defeat of the army of Alexander the Great. The armies of conquerors came and went, but Egypt could no longer resist them.

Over time, Luxor Temple fell into disrepair and was covered with a layer of sand, debris and soil, only the tops of the columns stick out from the ground. Many scholars argue that this is precisely why the temple in Luxor was not completely destroyed.

On the territory of the temple there was a military camp of the Roman army; a Christian church and the Abu el-Haggag mosque were built, which remained in place after the excavations.

Surprises of excavations do not stop in our time, the secrets of Luxor and its treasures are revealed to people. So, in 1989, during the reconstruction of the temple, a cache was found that contained unique statues that had previously adorned the temple. The priests protected the ancient valuables from looting and destruction, and now, thanks to their care, we can see these statues in many museums in Egypt and in the Luxor Museum.

Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple- these are two majestic temple complexes that remind us of the heyday of ancient Egypt and the times of the reign of the pharaohs.

Museum complex and tourist center of Luxor, these are the attractions "Cities of the Living" and "Cities of the Dead". The city of the dead is located on the opposite, left bank of the Nile River, this is the famous necropolis - the Valley of the Pharaohs and the Valley of the Queens, which will be discussed in the article “Luxor City of the Dead - Valley of the Kings and the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut”.

Facts about Luxor Temple of Amun-Ra

1. Decorative decoration. The columns and walls of the hypostyle were decorated with multi-colored reliefs with scenes of the exploits of kings, battles and religious rites. Portraits of pharaohs have come to us distorted or hewn, and the hieroglyphs indicating their names were rewritten by pharaohs of subsequent dynasties. In this way, each new ruler sought to perpetuate the memory of his family and exalt himself.
2. Pylons. To build massive towers (pylons), stone blocks were dragged up an embankment of earth and brick covered with silt. Such an embankment was preserved near the central part of the outer pylon, which remained unfinished.
3. Alley of Sphinxes. Along the road leading from the pier to the entrance pylons, part of an alley of forty stone sphinxes with the body of a lion and the head of a ram (the sacred animal of Amun) has been preserved. On holidays, a statue of Amon, the king of all gods, was carried along the alley. A solemn procession accompanied the deity to the pier, where the ritual voyage along the Nile to the temple in Luxor and back began.
4. Central axis. The main halls and palaces were located symmetrically along the road leading to the sanctuary. After the work was completed, a fence was erected around the temple. A gate was added to it and memorial signs were installed.
5. Construction. Each new part of the structure was covered with earth, creating a platform where stone slabs and beams were raised. After completion of the work, the building was dug up, and its architectural forms were presented to the eyes of the spectators.
6. Magic Hall. The huge columned hall was covered with a stone roof. The blue ceilings were painted with yellow stars and soaring kites. Light penetrated through the grilles of the central nave. The diameter of each of the 12 columns that supported the vault is 3.6 meters. Behind them were another 7 rows of 9 columns. Retreating into the twilight, this stone forest created the impression of endless space.
7. Outdoor pylon. Masts made from ship timber were attached to the outer pylon (height 42.6 m). Huge flags fluttered on them, and the entrance to the temple was visible from afar.
8. Outer courtyard. The main part of the solemn procession stopped near the pavilion of Pharaoh Taharqa (not preserved): only initiates could go inside.
9. Courtyard. Pylons served as the entrance to the courtyards; obelisks were installed in front of them.
10. sacred lake. The artificial lake on the territory of the temple complex played an important role in the daily rituals of bathing and ablutions. It also bred waterfowl for the sacrificial ceremony.
11. Sanctuary. In the depths of the temple there was a small dark sanctuary with a statue of the god. Amon, standing on the boat.
12. Garden pavilion. In the oldest part of the complex was the Garden Pavilion of Pharaoh Thutmose III. Its walls were painted with images of animals, birds and plants.
13. Obelisk of Queen Hatshepsut. The obelisk, made of Aswan granite with a top lined with electrum (an alloy of gold and silver), was transported to Karnak by barge. Using embankments and levers, he was lowered into a hole dug in the sand. The height of the memorial structure is about 30 meters.

The Temple of Amun Ra in Luxor today is one of the most famous monuments of ancient Egyptian culture. The temple at one time was the second most important temple of Ancient Egypt. Marble, columns, huge pylons, statues of pharaohs 14 meters high, obelisks, reliefs, hieroglyphs and much more await the traveler in this beautiful building.

Like the temple at Karnak, the Luxor temple is dedicated to the god Amun. Located just three kilometers south of the Temple of Karnak, the Temple of Amun in Luxor usually remained in the shadow of the glory of the main temple of the capital.

Judging by the hieroglyphs left behind, the construction of the temple was carried out by the brothers Gori and Suti. But the main structures were completed by the architect of Amenhotep III, Amenhotep, son of Hapu. Legends circulated about the glory of this architect during his lifetime, which is why even his statues with a biography have been preserved.

Alley of sphinxes and pylons

The Luxor Temple in Egypt embodied many historical eras: conquests, struggles for power, religious wars. There is also a temple of Alexander the Great, who called himself the son of Amon, and a fortress built by the Roman conquerors. The Romans tightly absorbed the temple into their structure. So the pylons began to serve as the main entrance to the camp, and the temple itself divided the building into two parts - western and eastern. There were some changes in the temple. Partitions were built here and a chapel dedicated to the cult of the emperor that existed at that time was equipped. The walls were decorated with images of the emperor and legionnaires.

Columns

Here you can also see a Christian chapel, which, apparently, appeared in the first centuries of our era. In some places of the temple of the god Amun in Luxor one can notice the destruction of images of ancient gods, which was used precisely in the religious struggle of that time.

Statue of Ramses II standing

The temple did not miss the influence of the Muslim religion. The Arabs who conquered Egypt built the Abu el-Hagag mosque here. The mosque was built on the roof of the temple, because when its construction was underway, the Luxor Temple of Ancient Egypt was covered with sand, and its upper part was used as a foundation. Today, after clearing, the mosque looks like an upper superstructure.

Statue of Ramses II sitting

The temple has the shape of a rectangle stretched along the Nile. The plan is distinguished by the clarity of the structure and almost complete symmetry. The central building is 190 meters long. The abundance of columns located in the Temple of Amon Ra in Luxor is noteworthy: in the halls, in the vestibule, in the central colonnade. There are a total of 151 columns, each of them is decorated with a papyrus flower. There are also reliefs here that tell about the legendary life of Amenhotep III.

Granite obelisk

The expansion of the Luxor Temple was also carried out under Ramesses II. A new pylon was built and statues of Ramesses II were installed in standing and sitting poses. The builders also erected new courtyard colonnades and granite obelisks.

Abu El Hagag Mosque

The construction of the temple balanced the overall ensemble of ancient Thebes. Located in the south along with the temple of Amenhotep III, it compensated for the influence of the northern temples - Karnak and Hatshepsut, which emphasized the ideality, beauty, and wealth of the capital of Egypt.

After the destruction of the city by the Assyrians in 663 AD, the capital was moved, and the Temple of Amun at Luxor lay buried under sand rubble until excavations began in the 1930s. And although its current position does not reflect all its former beauty, even these remains do not allow one to doubt the skill and skill of the ancient builders.