Please click on the thumbnails to view the larger image.
Today leads us to discover the secrets of the Temple of Luxor. We enter the temple grounds along the "Grand Avenue of the Sphinxes," whose faces represent Amenophis 111. He commenced the building of this temple. It was continued by Ramessess 11 and Horemhb, with some inscriptions by Tutankhamen and Seti 1. The Sphinx-lined avenue once stretched to the Temple of Karnak. Although the city of Luxor has built over most of this road, parts of it are now being excavated to unearth these statues.
Carved on the front of the great pylon is a sketch of the famous Battle of Kadesh, where Ramesses defeated the forces of the Hittites and their allies. The red granite obelisk in front and to one side of the entrance to the temple is one of two originals, which Ramesses erected. The other one is now in the Place de la Concorde, in Paris.
When the obelisk was taken down to be transported to France, Ramesses' name was found written under the base. Pharaohs often expropriated monuments of their predecessors, replacing the names with their own. The Egyptians believed if they removed the name of an individual, that person never existed. Ramesses' name hidden under the base of the obelisk would ensure this would not happen.
Originally the pyramidal tip of obelisk was covered in gold leaf, symbolizing the sun god Re. There are two colossal seated statues of Ramesses on each side of the gateway. On the pedestal four sacred baboons are positioned so they will be the first to greet the sun.
The carvings in the great pylon and these massive statues have been badly damaged over the eons by both weather and man.
The ancients believed that of all animals on earth only man could house the spirit of God. For this reason the temples were built to represent the body parts of man. The Temple of Luxor, sometimes called the Temple of Man, is the finest example of this.
As we enter through the feet (the pylon) on the left, on top of rubble we see the Fatimid Mosque of Abu el-Haggag, a structure that has been a bone of contention for over a century.
Then comes the Great Court of Ramssess, ringed by statues of him in full stride, representing the foreleg. We continue on to the colonnade of Amenhotep 111, thighs represented by a double row of seven papyrus columns.
Go To Page: 1 2
| Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: | View all related messages |
For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to Mary Ellen Bradshaw's Virtual Journeys topic, please visit the Discussions page.