Luxor Temple is a large
Ancient EgyptAncient Egypt was an ancient civilization of eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. The civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh, and...
ian temple complex located on the east bank of the
River NileThe Nile is a major north-flowing river in Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world....
in the city today known as
LuxorLuxor is a city in Upper Egypt and the capital of Luxor Governorate. The population numbers 376,022 , with an area of approximately...
(ancient Thebes) and was founded in 1400 BC.
Known in the
Egyptian languageEgyptian is the indigenous language of Egypt and a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. Written records of the Egyptian language have been dated from about 3400 BCE, making it one of the oldest recorded languages known. Egyptian was spoken until the late 17th century CE in the form of Coptic...
as
ipet resyt, or "the southern sanctuary", the temple was dedicated to the
Theban TriadThe Theban Triad are three Egyptian gods that were the most popular in the area of Thebes, in Egypt.-History:The group consisted of Amun, his consort Mut and their son Khonsu. The eighteenth and twenty fifth dynasties of the New Kingdom favored the triad...
of
AmunAmun, reconstructed Egyptian Yamānu , was a deity in Egyptian mythology who in the form of Amun-Ra became the focus of the most complex system of theology in Ancient Egypt...
,
MutMut, which meant mother in the ancient Egyptian language, was an ancient Egyptian mother goddess with multiple aspects that changed over the thousands of years of the culture. Alternative spellings are Maut and Mout. She was depicted as a white vulture most often...
, and
ChonsKhonsu is an Ancient Egyptian god whose main role was associated with the moon. His name means "traveller" and this may relate to the nightly travel of the moon across the sky. Along with Thoth he marked the passage of time...
and was built during the
New KingdomThe New Kingdom, sometimes referred to as the Egyptian Empire, is the period in ancient Egyptian history between the 16th century BC and the 11th century BC, covering the Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth Dynasties of Egypt. The New Kingdom followed the Second Intermediate Period and was...
, the focus of the annual
Opet FestivalThe Beautiful Feast of Opet was an Ancient Egyptian festival, celebrated annually in Thebes, during the New Kingdom period and later....
, in which a cult statue of Amun was paraded down the Nile from nearby
Karnak TempleThe very old Karnak Temple Complex — usually called simply Karnak — comprises a vast conglomeration of ruined temples, chapels, pylons and other buildings, notably the Great Temple of Amen and a massive structure begun by Pharoah Amenhotep III . It is located near Luxor, some 500 km south of Cairo,...
(ipet-isut) to stay there for a while, with his consort Mut, in a celebration of fertility – whence its name.
The earliest parts of the temple still standing are the barque chapels, just behind the first pylon, and the baked oxen balls.
Luxor Temple is a large
Ancient EgyptAncient Egypt was an ancient civilization of eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. The civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh, and...
ian temple complex located on the east bank of the
River NileThe Nile is a major north-flowing river in Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world....
in the city today known as
LuxorLuxor is a city in Upper Egypt and the capital of Luxor Governorate. The population numbers 376,022 , with an area of approximately...
(ancient Thebes) and was founded in 1400 BC.
Known in the
Egyptian languageEgyptian is the indigenous language of Egypt and a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. Written records of the Egyptian language have been dated from about 3400 BCE, making it one of the oldest recorded languages known. Egyptian was spoken until the late 17th century CE in the form of Coptic...
as
ipet resyt, or "the southern sanctuary", the temple was dedicated to the
Theban TriadThe Theban Triad are three Egyptian gods that were the most popular in the area of Thebes, in Egypt.-History:The group consisted of Amun, his consort Mut and their son Khonsu. The eighteenth and twenty fifth dynasties of the New Kingdom favored the triad...
of
AmunAmun, reconstructed Egyptian Yamānu , was a deity in Egyptian mythology who in the form of Amun-Ra became the focus of the most complex system of theology in Ancient Egypt...
,
MutMut, which meant mother in the ancient Egyptian language, was an ancient Egyptian mother goddess with multiple aspects that changed over the thousands of years of the culture. Alternative spellings are Maut and Mout. She was depicted as a white vulture most often...
, and
ChonsKhonsu is an Ancient Egyptian god whose main role was associated with the moon. His name means "traveller" and this may relate to the nightly travel of the moon across the sky. Along with Thoth he marked the passage of time...
and was built during the
New KingdomThe New Kingdom, sometimes referred to as the Egyptian Empire, is the period in ancient Egyptian history between the 16th century BC and the 11th century BC, covering the Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth Dynasties of Egypt. The New Kingdom followed the Second Intermediate Period and was...
, the focus of the annual
Opet FestivalThe Beautiful Feast of Opet was an Ancient Egyptian festival, celebrated annually in Thebes, during the New Kingdom period and later....
, in which a cult statue of Amun was paraded down the Nile from nearby
Karnak TempleThe very old Karnak Temple Complex — usually called simply Karnak — comprises a vast conglomeration of ruined temples, chapels, pylons and other buildings, notably the Great Temple of Amen and a massive structure begun by Pharoah Amenhotep III . It is located near Luxor, some 500 km south of Cairo,...
(ipet-isut) to stay there for a while, with his consort Mut, in a celebration of fertility – whence its name.
The earliest parts of the temple still standing are the barque chapels, just behind the first pylon, and the baked oxen balls. They were built by Hatshepsut, and appropriated by Tuthmosis III. The main part of the temple - the colonnade and the sun court were built by Amenhotep III, and a later addition by Rameses II, who built the entrance pylon, and the two obelisks (one of which was given to France, and is now at the centre of the
Place de la ConcordeThe Place de la Concorde is one of the major public squares in Paris, France. In fact, in terms of area, its 86,400 square metres make it the largest square in the French capital...
linked the Hatshepsut buildings with the main temple.
To the rear of the temple are chapels built by Tuthmosis III, and Alexander.
During the Roman era, the temple and its surroundings were a legionary fortress and the home of the Roman government in the area.
In Popular Culture
The temple appears in:
- The 1977 James Bond
James Bond 007 is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. The character has also been used in the longest running and most financially successful English language film franchise to date, starting in 1962 with Dr...
film, The Spy who Loved MeThe Spy Who Loved Me is the tenth spy film in the James Bond series, and the third to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. It was directed by Lewis Gilbert and the screenplay was written by Christopher Wood and Richard Maibaum...
- The 1978 Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Christie DBE , was an English crime writer of novels, short stories and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but is best remembered for her 80 detective novels and her successful West End theatre plays...
film, Death on the NileDeath on the Nile is a 1978 Academy Award-winning film based on the Agatha Christie mystery novel of the same title, directed by John Guillermin. The film features the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot played by Peter Ustinov plus an all-star cast. It takes place in Egypt, mostly on the Nile River...
Gallery
Image:Egypt.LuxorTemple.06.jpg|Luxor Temple, from the east bank of the Nile
Image:Avenue towards Karnak.JPG|Hundreds of sphinxes once lined the road to nearby Karnak
Image:Sphinx 1.JPG|A well preserved sphinx
Image:Egypt.LuxorTemple.05.jpg|The massive First Pylon
Image:Luxor Temple Obelisk.JPG|The red granite obelisk
Image:Luxor temple 2.JPG|The central corridor of the temple
Image:Egypt.LuxorTemple.04.jpg|Islamic mosque over pharaonic temple
Image:Luxor_Temple_Sitting_Colossus.jpg|Sitting Ramesses II Colossus inside Luxor Temple
Image:Closeup_Ramesses_II_Colossus.jpg|Closeup of the same Colossus
Image:Egypt.LuxorTemple.01.jpg|Amenhotep's colonnade from the peristyle court
Image:Courtyard Amenhotep III.JPG|The east side of the peristyle court of Amenhotep III
Image:Roman Mural.JPG|Roman mural in an inner chamber
Image:LuxorTemple1.jpg|Central corridor and four colossi by night
Image:LuxorTemple2.jpg|Closeup of illuminated red granite obelisk
Image:LuxorTemple3.jpg|Sitting Ramesses II Colossus inside Luxor Temple by night
Image:LuxorTemple4.jpg|Wall inscription
External links